Thunder Sideline Reporter Nick Gallo Staying Locked In During His Postgame Interview Was A Masterclass In Mental Toughness

Jesse D. Garrabrant. Getty Images.

It wasn't exactly a surprise that the Thunder had their way with the Sixers last night to end their East Coast trip 3-1 to improve to 33-6 on the season. Granted the Sixers were basically missing their entire roster, but we don't have to pretend like that would have made a lick of a difference. That team could have Dr. J himself in the lineup and it wouldn't matter when it comes to this matchup.

But that win is not the point  of this blog. We all know the Thunder are much, much better than the Sixers (and the majority of the NBA). The purpose of this blog is what happened postgame. Everyone wants to try and come up with reasons as to why the Thunder are not only title contenders, but should be the title favorites. Sure there are basketball reasons to maybe believe those things, but this video tells me everything I need to know about just how ready the Thunder might be for what is going to be a pretty pressure-filled playoff run

Sure SGA is playing at an MVP level. It's true that Jalen Williams is blossoming into an All Star. There's no denying Chet's two way impact and how impressive it is that the Thunder are doing all this without him. I dare you to find someone who doesn't think their coach is elite. All of those things are true.

But this clip right here means more to me than all of those things when evaluating the Thunder.

Why?

Because when you want to win a title, it requires everyone in the organization to be locked in. The front office needs to be locked in and make championship caliber moves. The players and coaches need to be locked in and execute. The digital media team needs to be locked in when producing viral content. The broadcast crew needs to be locked in and put out a good product. From top to bottom, everyone needs to be of the same collective mindset.

Given this just happened with the Celts and their organization, I know it when I see it. Nick Gallo is showing you just how serious and how ready the Thunder are for their run. That might have been the greatest example of mental toughness in sideline reporter history. A true professional who is doing his role at a championship level. It may seem like nothing, but you'd be a fool to overlook this. 

Sometimes you just get a season where everything ends up being the best possible scenario. Guys take their games up to levels you didn't know were possible, and to me that's what Gallo is doing in that clip. Granted he has some experience with this behavior, but that just tells me he's battle tested

The Thunder have made these postgame interviews their "thing", even if they're sneaky just replicated what the Grizzlies were doing for years during the Ja Era. Whatever, they're still fun. I also love that stuff like this pisses of Draymond Green. I'll always be in favor of that. Remember when he said something along the lines of the Thunder can't win because they do postgame interviews together? What a weirdo.

Anyway, if I were another team in the West that had hopes of title contention, this video from last night would send chills down my spine. Beating the Thunder was going to be tough enough, but now you have to factor in the reality that everyone associated with the team is beyond locked in right now. Usually when you have 1000000% buy in and guys are all taking their games to elite levels, good things tend to happen.

Is that in the Thunder's future? We're going to find out.