Jalen Williams throws shade at Kendrick Perkins over Thunder disrespect

A blessing in disguise? More like a nightmare for NOLA. They were completely overmatched in this series, getting comfortably beaten in every single contest except for Game 1.

Thunder cruising into second round

It’s quite interesting that Perk even doubted the Thunder in the first place. Sure, the Pels have some decent players outside of Zion, but they didn’t perform—especially Brandon Ingram.

We also have to remember that although OKC is a young, this is a tight-knit group that just had a magnificent season and they’re led by a legitimate MVP candidate in SGA. The Canadian guard averaged 27.3 points, six rebounds, and five assists in the first round, scoring 24 in the series clincher while Williams also had 24.

Game 4 wasn’t easy, though. The Pelicans were in control for most of the contest before the Thunder clawed their way back, outscoring their opponents 27-18 in the final frame. It wasn’t their best performance, but Mark Daigneault’s group showed why the No. 1 seed was theirs in the regular season.

Daigneault was very impressed with his team in this series but he knows the Williamson injury changed things a lot in terms of how competitive New Orleans could be.

“We have a mature team. We have a committed team,” Daigneault said. “We’ve got an uncommon group of people and players.

“Obviously, with the injury to Williamson, that changed the complexion of their team coming into the series,” Daigneault said. “I thought they really competed, played hard and tested us in a lot of different ways.”

And despite an average age of 24, the Thunder are here to compete for a title, as Williams alluded to:

“That’s another thing for us to not think about,” Thunder forward Jalen Williams said. “We’re coming in to compete — no matter how old we are.”

Next up for Oklahoma City is the winner of the LA Clippers/Dallas Mavericks series, which is currently tied 2-2. Game 5 takes place on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena.

The Thunder will have some time to rest up for now and prepare for their next opponent. This squad has had their doubters all year long when it comes to playoff success due to their youth and inexperience, but so far, they’ve silenced the naysayers.

With Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way and the likes of Chet Holmgren, Josh Giddey, Williams, and Lu Dort serving as the perfect supporting cast, there’s no telling how far the Thunder could go.

They didn’t beat out the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets for the No. 1 seed by chance. This is a special team.