Si Alex Caruso ra ang nag-inusarang player sa kasamtangang roster sa Oklahoma City Thunder nga nakadula na sa National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals kaniadto.
Kauban si Caruso sa Los Angeles Lakers niadtong 2020, panahon sa "bubble" sa Lake Buena Vista, Florida, diin ilang napilde ang Miami Heat aron makuha ang kampyonato. Apan ang maong setup lahi ra sa karon — sarado ang venue, walay halos fans, ug usa ra ka lugar ang giheld-an sa tanang duwa — layo ra sa kahimtang karong finals nga magsugod sa Oklahoma City karong Huwebes sa gabii.
“The finals in the bubble still had the tangible feel of a finals," matod ni Caruso. "You knew what was up for grabs. That adrenaline before the game, obviously, I don’t think it would probably be the same adrenaline level that you feel with fans, just being on the other side of it now. But understanding what’s at stake was still very apparent.”
Ang Thunder mosangka sa Indiana Pacers sa NBA Finals.
Matod ni Caruso nga di na siya angay og “finals talk” ang iyang teammates, kay makita niya nga andam na sila.
“You don’t have to do anything special. You just have to be who we are," ingon ni Caruso. "That’s worked for us throughout this whole year. So, I’m just continuing to emphasize with the guys, just do what we’ve done all year. Compete at a high level, play together, play as a team. When we do that, we’re pretty good.” / RSC