OKLAHOMA CITY — Jordan Ott and Mark Daigneault stood 25 feet apart Sunday afternoon. Ott crossed his arms, holding them against his chest, watching Game 1 of this Western Conference playoff first-round series unfold. Daigneault walked a few feet onto the court to yell instructions to his team.
They are on different NBA timelines. Ott is in his first season as coach of the Phoenix Suns, while Daigneault is in his sixth as coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder. But they have much in common.
Both 41, they were born about a week apart in 1985. Neither coach played college basketball. Ott worked as a graduate assistant and video coordinator under Tom Izzo at Michigan State, while Daigneault worked as a student manager under Jim Calhoun at Connecticut. Ott became an NBA video coordinator with the Atlanta Hawks and worked his way up. Daigneault worked in college for a few years and did the same.
Daigneault didn’t reach the playoffs as a head coach until his fourth season, but since then, the Thunder have turned into a force. This season, they are trying to repeat as NBA champions, and in Sunday’s 119-84 Game 1 win, they looked the part.
The front office ultimately determines an organization’s direction, but it doesn’t work without a strong head coach. And that’s why this is such an important series for Ott.
He’s been great to this point. He took a rebuilding team and led it to 45 wins, maximizing nearly every player on the roster. Ott was a candidate for NBA Coach of the Year until the Suns, hit hard with injuries, faded over the season’s second half.
The playoffs are his next test. And this series will be incredibly difficult.
No one expects the Suns to beat the Thunder. Many don’t even think they can win a game in this best-of-seven series. But it’s important that the Suns are competitive. Reaching this stage only to get routed in four quick games would do little for their national credibility.
Ott wouldn’t admit it — “I don’t think we’re an excuse-making team,” he said — but the Suns did not take the court at PayCom Center under the best circumstances. They had to scrap just to get here, losing to Portland before beating Golden State last week in the Play-In Tournament. Meanwhile, the Thunder rested and waited.
Asked before Sunday’s contest if he’s even had a chance to enjoy reaching the playoffs, Ott broke it down like this:
“Tuesday night (losing to Portland), there was no enjoyment. Wednesday night (recovering from the Portland loss, prepping for Golden State), there was not much enjoyment. Friday night … I think there was a little relief that this group gets to play playoff basketball.”
It wasn’t the best way to start a series, which made Sunday’s outcome predictable. The Thunder took control with an early 17-2 burst. They grabbed 19 offensive rebounds and turned them into 25 points. The Suns didn’t help themselves with 19 turnovers, mistakes Oklahoma City turned into 34 points.
“That’s a recipe for disaster,” Suns guard Devin Booker said.
“The turnovers killed us,” fellow guard Jalen Green said.
Down 30 with seven minutes left, Ott waved the white flag and emptied his bench, trying to move on to Wednesday’s Game 2 as quickly as possible.
The playoffs are about adjustments — physically, mentally and schematically. The off days are just as important as game days. And that falls on Ott and the coaching staff. Some of it isn’t complicated, Ott said. The Suns can’t hold the ball against Oklahoma City, they have to keep it moving. They can’t take contested shots inside the 3-point arc. They can’t give the Thunder easy opportunities in transition.
The rest will be more difficult. The Thunder are deep and physical. They have a champion’s confidence and, according to Green, get away with more defensive aggressiveness than should be allowed. The Suns need to play better, but they also may need to be creative to make this competitive.
“We’re a young team right now that’s getting playoff experience against the defending champs,” said Booker, whose 23 points led Phoenix. “This is a learning curve for us. This is an opportunity for us, and we have to lock into the details.”
How do teams reset? Ott said the Suns discussed it throughout the Play-In Tournament and again Saturday night. One game won’t determine the series. It’s the first to four wins. Sunday marked only the first chapter, and an early test for a young, promising head coach.
“We’ll bounce back,” Ott said. “We understand there’s some things to clean up, so a couple of these days we’ll use to clean up, then we’ll go back out there and be ready to go Wednesday night.”
