“We’ve been as close as we can be as a basketball team. Guys are connected at the hip everywhere we go. We do everything together on and off the court. Above all, we prioritize winning and enjoy each other’s company,” said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recently about him and his OKC squad. The same team that ranked in the 10th spot in the Western Conference only 2 seasons ago set the league-best record and made it to the NBA Finals. Whenever asked what made this ‘small-market team’ work this time around, the ‘bond’ factor always made its way in the answers. Alex Caruso was recently able to reveal one way that this bond was maintained.

In the hours leading up to the NBA Finals, NBA TV‘s Stephanie Ready engaged in a Q&A session with the Thunder’s secondary shooting guard. She kicked off the session with a non-basketball question, asking the player if the guys had done any activity as a team between the two series. While the gap between the recent series was just spent with the respective families of each player, Alex Caruso did reveal that the group had gone to watch a movie in one of the gaps after the first and second rounds of the playoffs.

He revealed, “We went into…. we went to a movie theater. I think either Shai or J-dub rented out a movie theater. We went and saw…. we went and saw the Michael B Jordan ‘Sinners’. It was really good.” 

‘Sinners’, starring Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, and newcomer actor and musician Miles Caton, became a favorite amongst several celebrities after its release. From Tom Cruise and Pedro Pascal to Jaime Foxx and Snoop Dogg, everyone publicly shared their appreciation of Ryan Coogler’s recent project. It attracted the members of the NBA circle too, with Draymond Green exclaiming “GENIUS!!! Film is insane!!”, and LeBron James holding a private screening and watching it along with his wife, Savannah, and other family members and friends. Carmelo Anthony appreciated Ryan Coogler bringing the “spirit of our ancestors” to life. Therefore, with so much hype around it, it made sense for the OKC squad to also watch the movie that earned $350 million at the box office. With no time due to the postseason, however, they had to make do with finding a break between series.

If one player was able to take out the most time, however, it was Jalen Williams. During the interview with Caruso, Stephanie Ready recalled that J-Dub had told her he had seen the movie three times. This led to Caruso revealing, “Yeah, Dub’s a big movie guy. He’s a big movie guy. That doesn’t surprise me”. Who knows, maybe we can give Ryan Coogler credit for the 32 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists the player scored in Game 3 of the Conference Semifinals.

Relaxing together as a group by watching a movie can certainly help them get that drive to push them to the finish line. However, when going up against a fast-paced team like the Indiana Pacers, who are as determined as they are, the OKC squad would need more than just a strong bond to guide them. Fortunately, the players found a solution within themselves.

Alex Caruso reveals practicing amongst themselves helped prepare against Pacers: “We’ve done a good job”

For the most part, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers have been called the ‘same’ team. Both are small-market teams, both reportedly prefer the game to be ‘chaotic’, and, as Jalen Williams once highlighted, “They are pretty close to us in regards to like how close they are as a team.” Therefore, what better way to know how to get at them than attempting to get the better of each other first.

During the same Q&A session, Stephanie Reddy also highlighted that OKC and Pacers are also “very similar teams in terms of fast-paced basketball on the offensive end, but really stifling defense”. When asked how the team stays true to themselves, but remains careful and does not play into their hands, Alex Caruso revealed that the emphasis would be on trying to dictate the game, and play on their terms. After all, whenever the OKC squad has been able to do that in the postseason, they’ve won games.

Caruso also revealed that “So, we know that they like to play fast, we know that they have a bunch of guys that, like you said, they’re a deep team. They’re all alive, they can all play. A lot like us. So, luckily, we’ve been practicing against ourselves all year. So, we have a little bit, a little bit of experience with that”.

Caruso admitted that pace will be a factor in the upcoming NBA Finals. If one thing has been seen in regards to Tyrese Haliburton and Co., it is that they’ve done a great job in the postseason of amping up the pressure and forcing teams to play faster, or making quicker decisions. However, he also admitted, “I think we’ve done a good job of preparing ourselves for that. So, hopefully, it’ll be, obviously, it’s the finals. It’ll be a tough matchup, but you know, we’re looking forward to it, and we feel good about it”.

Two small market teams might not be what several fans would have wanted. However, there is no denying that the upcoming NBA Finals will be an interesting one. Who knows, perhaps even Michael B. Jordan might end up travelling to watch a game. That will certainly hype up Alex Caruso and Co.