Thunder coach Scott Brooks has always been able to maintain his composure during post-game interview sessions.
Brooks never loses it, but he sure seemed to fight the urge following Wednesday night’s 97-92 loss to the New Orleans Hornets.
The man doesn’t raise his voice or pound the podium. He never snaps and never gets sideways, like so many did on the slick drive home from the Ford Center after the game.
The angrier Brooks gets, the shorter his answers become. And the shorter the answers, the more Brooks is protecting his players.
Brooks shared several brief responses after his team’s loss to the Hornets.
"We didn’t have it tonight."
"They did a better job of executing in the fourth quarter."
"Part of our growth in getting better is execution."
"It’s just part of who were are and what we have to continue to do to get better."
"I’m not ashamed that we lost to the Hornets, (but) I’m not happy."
Brooks is right, there is no disgrace losing to New Orleans, a good team that got off to a bad start this season.
The game was tight throughout, with 18 lead changes and 12 ties. The Hornets’ biggest lead was eight. The Thunder’s biggest lead was four.
The Thunder had a chance to win, but its overall execution was poor at crucial moments.
Trailing 95-92, Brooks drew up a play with 11.1 seconds left in the game, and said he drew up the same play during a timeout with 7.7 seconds remaining. The end result was a mass of humanity crammed into the right corner and a 3-point attempt from Thunder guard Russell Westbrook that barely drew iron.
"We didn’t execute down the stretch," Brooks explained. "We just didn’t get off a good shot."
The most insightful response from Brooks also was one of the longest answers. It involved Kevin Durant, Westbrook and Brooks himself.
Asked about Durant’s failure to surface late in the game, Brooks replied, "It’s part of what we have to continue to work on and find him (Durant) shots. It’s a combination. Myself, I have to run more plays. Kevin has to run harder and Russell has to find him quicker."
The Thunder managed just 11 points in the fourth quarter, going 3 for 14 from the field. Durant shot 0 for 2 and Westbrook was 1 for 5. Both played just 7:31 in the final quarter, primarily because Brooks had found a good offensive mixture of players in a 35-point third quarter.
Bluntly put, Westbrook and Durant were not clutch Wednesday night.
"Youth has nothing to do with it," Brooks said. "We just have to figure out ways to play physical, mentally-tough basketball in the fourth quarter, and we’ve done a pretty good job of that."
The Thunder has won six of its last eight games, but the overall mood certainly didn’t reflect that after Wednesday night’s loss.
"We’ve won some games lately," Brooks said, "but this doesn’t mean that we have arrived or that we’re going to win every game we play."
John Rohde: 475-3099. John Rohde can be heard Monday-Friday from 6-7 p.m. on The Sports Animal Network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1.
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