OKC Thunder notebook: Thunder, Mavericks out to control emotions

Carlisle said his team is moving forward after the back-to-back heartbreaking losses at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

“Right now, we've got to win four out of five to win the series. That's our mindset,” Carlisle said. “What's done is done. A playoff series is a major test of perseverance. We've got to overcome a lot of things. We've got to overcome the shot-making they've thrown at us. We've got to overcome some errors in officiating. We've got to overcome being in a situation where we had opportunities to win those two games and came up short. It's got to strengthen our resolve for Game 3.”

Playing at American Airlines Center the next two games also should be beneficial.

“We need a loud building,” Carlisle said. “We need our crowd to be as loud and raucous as their crowd was. That's got to be in the equation for us. And we've got to step it up, and we will. We've got to win two games. That's our job now. They've done it at their place. And now it's our job to hold serve at home.”

GOOD AND BAD

Good news for the Thunder: OKC leads the best-of-seven series 2-0 heading into Game 3 at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday in Dallas.

Bad news for the Thunder: The team hasn't played particularly well.

“We don't feel like we've played great basketball,” Collison said, “but Dallas has had a lot to do with that. They're a really good team, a smart team. A lot of the adjustments we have to make are watching film and trying to just change how we play.”

UP NEXT

Here is the remaining best-of-seven series schedule: Game 3 — Thursday at 8:30 p.m., Dallas; Game 4 — Saturday at 6:30 p.m., Dallas; Game 5, if necessary — Monday at 7 p.m., OKC; Game 6, if necessary — May 10 at TBA, Dallas; Game 7, if necessary — May 12 at TBA, OKC.

DELAYED RETURN

With severe weather in the OKC area after Game 2, the Mavericks had to get off the team buses, get screened by security, then re-board the buses and wait for the storm to clear out. The team's charter plane had been taken to a hangar on the other side of the airport.

The team arrived at Love Field at 2:35 a.m. on Tuesday, roughly an hour behind schedule.

Four fans were waiting outside the secured area at the airport dressed in Mavericks gear and holding signs and pictures of Nowitzki.

QUOTABLE

Carlisle, comparing this year's Thunder team to last year's: “They've gotten better. There's no doubt about that. You've got to give them credit for the plays they've made in the series and the year they've had.”

The Dallas Morning News contributed to this report.