They are the youngest, most inexperienced team in the NBA — and a favorite to win it all

The Oklahoma City Thunder is the youngest team in the NBA. And a top contender to win it all.

If you’re staying in a hotel room in an NBA city and you hear someone fiddling with your door in the early hours of the morning, don’t be alarmed — it could be Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault. 

Daigneault says that amid the grind of a long, travel-heavy NBA season, it’s not uncommon for him to sometimes use his key card on the wrong door because of how many different rooms he’s using on a night-to-night basis. 

“I was on the 10th floor yesterday, and I’m on the 12th floor today,” Daigneault told NBC News at the NBA Cup in December. “The thing that people don’t see is how long the season is. It’s a gauntlet of travel, games. It’s difficult to maintain your energy throughout the course of the season.

“No one would trade it for anything, but it can be a grind. Having people that bring energy to that every single day, that’s what gives everybody oxygen.”

Fortunately for Daigneault, he can breathe easily, because he coaches one of the most energetic teams in the league.

https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/nba/thunder-nba-youngest-championship-contenders-rcna192683

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