OKC Thunder vs. Mavericks: Thunder must close out games

Nonetheless, Brooks sounds confident that his team has turned the corner.

“Offensively, overall, those numbers have improved,” Brooks said. “We're third in the league in scoring and we're third in the league in field-goal percentage. When I look at fourth-quarter offense, we have to get good shots. It's always difficult to get good shots because everybody ratchets up their defense. We just have to focus on executing our play and getting a good shot. That's all we look at.”

When dry spells did plague the Thunder this season, the common refrain by Brooks and players was shots simply didn't fall. Very rarely did anyone express disappointment in a lack of execution.

But what will the Thunder do now if ever the shots continue to rim out?

“I think we continue to do the things that we were doing to get those good looks at the basket,” Fisher said. “But I think…probably what we'll find ourselves experiencing in the playoffs is that defensively we have to continue to get stops. Even if the shots aren't going in, we have to continue to get stops on the defensive end.”

The Thunder, Fisher said, can't compound the problem.

“Sometimes shots don't go in,” Fisher said. “You get great looks, they just don't go in. But we're talented enough, athletic enough, smart enough to defend and rebound and force teams to get frustrated on their offensive end as well and win games with our defense.”