OKC Thunder Crowd Lives up to Expectations in Game 1 Against Pelicans
After a four year hiatus from the NBA Playoffs, Oklahoma City lived up to its Loud City moniker against the Pelicans on Sunday night.
Prior to Sunday night's matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans, the Oklahoma City Thunder had not hosted a playoff game in five years.
After losing in five games to the Portland Trail Blazers in 2019, the team made a postseason appearance again in 2020 but played games within the NBA Bubble in Orlando.
After Chris Paul and a young Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led OKC to the playoffs four years ago, the team began a swift rebuild and had not played in a postseason series until Sunday, when the Thunder squared off against CJ McCollum and the No. 8-seed Pelicans in Game 1 of the first round.
It seems that the break from playoff basketball only energized the crowd in Oklahoma City, as OKC fans were out in full force on Sunday night. Not only was the Paycom Center packed to the brim, the fans in attendance were loud and lively for the Thunder's victory over New Orleans.
At one point, Jalen Williams got tied up with Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas while both players were going for a rebound. After referees called a jump ball, Williams turned to the crowd and began barking, and fans responded back with barks of their own.
In such a tightly contested game, the enthusiasm from Oklahoma City's fanbase helped give the Thunder the edge and get a much-needed Game 1 win.
After the game, head coach Mark Daigneault commended the Modern Frontier for their showing in OKC's playoff return.
"It was awesome, they were great," Daigneault said. "Really from the jump, that was a true home court advantage. Even down the stretch of the game, obviously it was a rock fight in both directions. Just the level of support that we feel from our fans, that's been consistent all throughout, though. I mean, it's incredible. ... We certainly appreciate them being as loud as they were and we need them again Wednesday."
Daigneault wasn't the only member of the team who noticed the avid support of the team's fanbase, however, as Gilgeous-Alexander also commented on the crowd in his postgame interview session.
"It was amazing," SGA said. "They were exactly what I expected. I've said this so many times, even when I wasn't here and I played here, the arena was always electric. Always had so much energy. (The fans) were perfect, and they were themselves tonight."
Thunder fans will have another opportunity to show their support on Wednesday night at 8:30 P.M. CT when Oklahoma City meets New Orleans at the Paycom Center for Game 2 of their first-round series.
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