Thunder vow not to ‘relax’ in Game 2 against Warriors

[...] the truth is, Thunder players figure not much has changed in the past five weeks.

Sure, a team that finished the regular season a distant third in the Western Conference is up 1-0 in the conference finals against the defending NBA champions.

Dig past the improved defense and lineup tweaks, however, and the traits that have long defined the Oklahoma City franchise — self-belief, focus, camaraderie — remain firmly intact.

All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook shot 1-for-8 from the floor.

Unlike much of the regular season, when the first-year NBA coach was still learning his young roster, Donovan knows which adjustments can yield his intended results.

The Warriors used a rare mastery of talent and fundamentals to breeze through the regular season.

In a month’s span, assistant coach Monty Williams’ wife died in a car accident, minority owner Aubrey McClendon died and Dion Waiters’ brother was killed.

Winning three straight road playoff games — two in San Antonio, one in Oakland — against two franchises that had lost three times combined on their home floors this season was hardly their ultimate goal.