Thunder notebook: Scott Brooks says nerves are a good thing

“As a coach, I'm the same way; as a player, I was the same way,” Brooks said. “That's part of it. When you really care about what you do, when you're really concerned and you want to do a good job for your teammates, you should be nervous.”

He's also confident his team will settle down once the game starts.

“Once that ball's in the air, our players aren't going to be nervous,” Brooks said. “Our players are going to fly around the court and they're going to play good basketball.”

Brooks watched Magic Johnson on the telecast of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals talk about how he felt before big games.

“He had it and people think, ‘Magic, he was nervous before the games?' You're always nervous before the games until the tip off,” Brooks said.

BOSH ELEVATES HIS GAME

Chris Bosh was thought of as a clear third in Miami's “Big Three.”

His recent injury and the contributions in the three games since his return — especially in a 19-point performance in Saturday's 101-88 Game 7 win over Boston — have elevated his status. He hit three 3-pointer in the game after hitting just four in his playoff career to that point.

“He's hit threes before but not a lot,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. “He showed he can do it with the game on the line.

“That's a problem we've got to be aware of.”

BATTLING SCREENS CRITICAL VS. HEAT

Brooks sees a lot of similarities between his team and Miami.

Among the most prominent, the job the Heat do in running their offense with screens.

“You have a choice every time downcourt,” Brooks said of defending the screens. “You can run into it and stop or you can get through it or around it. I think our guys are committed to doing that.

“We're an athletic, offensive team, we score at a high level, our field-goal percentage is good but we're still a defensive team. We have to be able to score off our defense.”