Scott Brooks declared his happiness after watching his Oklahoma City Thunder side respond to beat the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night.
A disappointing display saw the Thunder lose 112-77 in game two last Thursday, but an improved performance and the return of Serge Ibaka helped them reduce the deficit in the Western Conference finals.
"I knew that we were a better team than losing by 30," Brooks told reporters. "It's not us. It was us that night, but we're a much better team than that.
"I have a lot of respect for San Antonio, but they're not that much better than us."
San Antonio lead the series 2-1 heading into Tuesday's game four.