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Q&A: Thunder power forward Serge Ibaka

By Jenni Carlson | Published: April 20, 2011 Comment on this article

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You guys not only get the win in Game 2 but also win by a big margin. How important was it to score a commanding win?

“That's a big team win. We needed that. We needed to get that confidence before we go to Denver. The first game, we got the win, but we didn't play well like we play. Tonight, we did.”

What changed most between the first and second games?

“Game 1, they started out more aggressive and they made all their first shots. We did good to get back and win the game. We came back tonight, and we were just aggressive tonight in the beginning. I think that was the secret.”

As aggressive as they were coming out in Game 1, did you feel like you needed to have that same level of aggressiveness in Game 2?

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's the key.”

For you, it looked like things were flowing a little easier offensively. Did you change anything?

“It was the confidence. If you see the first game, I missed a lot of open shots. My teammates, the coaches, they kept talking to me — ‘Keep shooting.' They believe in me. They know I practice that shot every day. I make that shot in practice. They believe in me. They give me that confidence. That's why I came back tonight and kept shooting.”