Alex Caruso makes his feelings known about OKC's championship chances
Currently, Alex Caruso and the Oklahoma City Thunder are sitting atop the NBA's Western Conference with a record of 19-5. While there's still plenty more basketball left to play this season, the team has shown that even in the face of adversity, they are one of the top teams in the league.
This weekend, the team will face off with the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference semifinal matchup of the Emirates NBA Cup against the Houston Rockets. Ahead of the game, Caruso spoke with ClutchPoints, discussing what it is that makes the Thunder such a good team.
From the sounds of things, he chalks the team's success up to two things: focus and competitive drive. That, combined with the front office's ability to construct the team's roster, separates the Thunder from other teams in the mind of Caruso:
“They all have the same focus, which is they want to get better. They want to be the best versions of themselves. They want to compete. They want to win basketball games. Then, ultimately, the organization has just done a great job bringing guys in that want to represent everything that OKC is about.
"Team-first from Shai down to our two-way guys [and] E-10 guys. Everyone is treated the same, and everyone is held to the same standard and accountability. With an atmosphere and culture like that, it makes it really easy for really good basketball players to thrive."
Alex Caruso speaks about the Thunder's upcoming Emirates NBA Cup game, calling in-season tournament a mental refresher
After picking up a 118-104 win over the Dallas Mavericks in the quarterfinal round of the Emirates NBA Cup, the Oklahoma City Thunder are now preparing to face off with the Houston Rockets tonight.
The winner will advance to the finals of the NBA Cup in Las Vegas, with the winning players each receiving $500,000. While the chance to compete for a pot of money in Vegas could be viewed as a high-pressure situation, Caruso actually said that the NBA Cup is a good refresher for the Thunder.
With teams almost halfway to the All-Star break, Alex Caruso believes that the NBA Cup gives the Thunder a bit of a mental break.
“The ability to do this during the season is a big responsibility, but it's a big opportunity for us just to be able to break the norm of the season. Kind of that gridlock of 25 games in, you're like halfway to All-Star break almost.
"This is kind of more of a mental refresher that I think is going to be really beneficial. But also the ability to showcase the team we have. We got a bunch of guys that are really good basketball players, really competitive, and really close.”
The scheduling of the NBA Cup will give Oklahoma City a chance to physically get some rest as well. If Caruso and the Thunder win tonight's game, they will enjoy two days of rest before the NBA Cup Final. If they lose, they'll have until Thursday to recover before playing again.