"They're idiots" - OKC coach Mike Daigneault takes friendly shots at his young roster after postgame shenanigans 

The OKC Thunder made it to the NBA Finals this year after dominating the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals on Wednesday.

It was a lopsided showing for the Thunder as they led by as much as 39 points in the game, not allowing the Timberwolves to snag any momentum en route to the win.

During the presentation of the Western Conference championship trophy, the entire team celebrated, including head coach Mark Daigneault. The tactician was covered with towels by his players while being interviewed on the stage, prompting him to hilariously take shots at them.

“They’re idiots,” Daigneault said while describing the composition of the squad.

“They’re competitive. Most of all, they’re team first and they embody everything that it means to be a team,” he added.

Daigneault has been the Thunder’s head coach since the 2020-2021 season, mentoring the youthful squad since its infancy days as one of the worst teams in the league.

After three seasons of not making the playoffs, the Thunder finished as the top seed last year, before losing in the second round. However, they bounced back this year, winning 69 games and coasting through the playoffs to become Western Conference champions.

En route to the NBA Finals, the Thunder swept the Memphis Grizzlies in round one, survived the Denver Nuggets in the second round, and finished the Timberwolves in five games.

The Thunder will now be heading to their first NBA Finals since 2012. Meanwhile, Daigneault will be making his debut in the Finals, leading the youthful squad, whose average age is 24.2 years.

Mark Daigneault explains how it feels coaching young OKC Thunder squad

Since leading the Thunder to back-to-back top seeds in the Western Conference, Mark Daigneault has been regarded as one of the best up-and-coming coaches in the league. Now coaching in his first NBA Finals, Daigneault said he does not want to stop coaching the Thunder:

“We’re happy we’re going to the Finals but I don’t wanna stop coaching this team either… It’s an unbelievable experience every day.”

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Mark Daigneault: “We’re happy we’re going to the Finals but I don’t wanna stop coaching this team either… It’s an unbelievable experience every day.”

The Thunder has been clamping down on their opponents during the playoffs. Against Minnesota in Game 5, they forced 21 turnovers. In Game 4 on the road, OKC forced the Timberwolves to 23 turnovers.

They are expected to be the favorites to win the NBA title this year, as they will carry home-court advantage to whoever is the winner of the Eastern Conference finals between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks.

The NBA Finals begin with Game 1 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on June 6.