After Jalen Williams and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Houston Rockets 111-96 in the NBA Cup semifinals, eliminating the Rockets, Williams commented on his game against the Milwaukee Bucks in the finals. In the association’s second mid-season tournament, head coach Mark Daigneault expects both teams’ fastballs to be on display in Tuesday’s matchup. During his postgame media availability, Jalen talked about what it would look like for him and the Thunder.

At 20-5, Oklahoma City remains atop the Western Conference. However, for a team with NBA Finals aspirations, Williams sees Tuesday’s final matchup against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the 2021 champion Bucks as a tremendous opportunity.

“I think it’s a very good test for us later to kind of understand the playoffs and just simulate that,” Williams said. “Besides the money, that’s the biggest thing. Given the amount of media we have here and the intensity of the games, it’s a good simulation of concentration when we’re not on the pitch to be able to play and get the job done. Other than that, we’re trying to recreate a playoff feel and go from there.”

While Williams said Jaylin Williams winning the $500,000 was part of the Thunder’s motivation for the NBA Cup, the atmosphere of the tournament in Las Vegas added a new element to the win.

“Our playoff atmosphere for people who are not familiar is very difficult to replicate in Oklahoma. So I wouldn’t say it is, but it has a certain energy to it that makes it very competitive,” Williams added. “It’s probably because of the money. But there is a very competitive aspect. Of course everyone wants free money.”

Mark Daigneault says Thunder’s competitive spirit is taking over

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault believes the natural competitive spirit of Jalen Williams and his team is that they bring the best version of themselves night in and night out. After Saturday’s win over the Rockets, Daigneault says behind closed doors that the Thunder’s level of competition will never let up.

“We have a competitive group of guys. The NBA is competitive. “When we line up in practice and play five-on-five, guys are killing each other trying to win a scrimmage with no one watching, and I would imagine that’s the case in almost every NBA gym.” said Daigneault. “So if you put something on the line, the guys will be excited about it.”

The Thunder and Bucks face off in the NBA Cup finals on Tuesday in Las Vegas.