Chet Holmgren Discusses Mindset Dealing With Adversity After Game 2

The loneliest spot in the world is at the free throw line of a high pressure spot in the NBA Playoffs.

That is where Chet Holmgren found himself in Game 1 of the Oklahoma City Thunder's second round series against the Denver Nuggets.

As heavy favorites in a game that most had already chalked up to a Thunder win given the quick turnover from Saturday's Game 7 the Nuggets were facing, Oklahoma City found themselves in a dog fight at the end of the game.

Holmgren went 0-for-2 at the charity stripe. The Nuggets collected the miss, pushed the pace and stole the series opener with an Aaron Gordon triple to take a 1-0 series lead and stun the Paycom Center.

This isn't the first time the Gonzaga product has faced adversity, far from it. So far, the story of Holmgren's career has been trails and tribulations that have set up some pretty massive comebacks. Just look at the No. 2 overall pick's injury history for a quick glance at what he has fought through.

So when the final buzzer sounds on Game 1, there is no surprise that despite the sinking feeling in the moment, the OKC Thunder had extreme confidence in Holmgren's ability to respond.

"I mean [Chet Holmgren] is the last guy I am worried about as a competitor. The last guy. From the way he has handled the adversity of the injuries and having to work all the way back from that. His combination of hunger and drive but also consistent work to get himself back. He got back way earlier this year [From his hip injury] he got back on the earlieset timeline he possibly could've while being safe. As a competitor, the guy is just a monster competitor," Head Coach Mark Daigneault said at practice Tuesday.

In Game 2, the Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back in a big way. The Thunder blew past the Denver Nuggets, 149-106.

Holmgren posted 15 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks while going 7-for-7 at the charity stripe and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.

After the game, the seven-footer was asked about his ability to respond to adversity and where that part of his mindset comes from.

"I mean, I was talking to [Kenrich Williams] Last night, shoutout to him. coming over to watch the games with me. I was just telling him, I had five screws and a plate put in my foot, shattered my hip in basicially six places and I was thinking about it, I was like if I could pick one of those three, missing a couple free throws is the least of your worries," Holmgren said postseason. "Obviously, it hurts knowing what was on the line. Playoff game, you never want to lose. But, you also can't be afraid to fail, I guess. You know, I've been on both sides of it. Hit big free throws to go to overtime, hit game winners, I have missed game winners, obviously missed clutch free throws too. It's all part of it."

Holmgren had great perspective less than 24 hours removed from his missed freebies as he continued to recount.

"I didn't spend too much time on Social Media the past couple of days, I am sure I was getting ripped pretty hard. Just understanding that it is all part of it, obviously." Holmgren continued. "There is a lot of basketball ahead of us, there is a lot to do, we gotta get a lot better, but that is all part of it."

The Gonzaga product wanted that moment again, he was eager to respond and get it right in Game 2. On Wednesday, he did just that.

"I was also talking to [Kenrich Williams] cause he has played a lot in his career too, he has played in a lot of situations, been through similar things, and he just said 'don't run from it, you know? You gotta want to shoot free throws again, when you make a mistake you gotta wanna be in that position again and try to get it right' so that is what I am going to try to do moving forward," the Thunder center finished with.

The Oklahoma City Thunder became the first home team to win a game in the second round and avoided the black eye of going down 0-2 that the Celtics and Cavs are nursing right now. With the series squared, things shift to Denver where the OKC Thunder need to get one win on the road to steal back home court advantage.