Leaning on defensive chops makes the OKC Thunder dangerous

When the Oklahoma City Thunder broke out the brooms in New Orleans to beat the Pelicans in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, the story of the series was defense.

Oklahoma City rarely had an A-game offensively. Outside of blowing out Game 2 and eventually breaking open Game 3, the Thunder hung their hats on the defensive end.

While sample size – and opponent – ​​matter, the Thunder’s ability to allow no more than 92 points in any of the four games against the Pelicans shows just how dangerous OKC is.

While it seems impossible to have a team score triple figures in the next round regardless of whether the Mavericks or Clippers advance, the Thunder have proven to be a top-five defense in the NBA this season.

With that defensive tenacity carrying over into the playoffs, it shows how imposing OKC will be throughout the postseason.

While the Bricktown boys step in defensively and keep the game close, they buy their attacking time to recover.

With a superstar scorer in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a timely, tough player in Jalen Williams and a top 3-point shooting team in basketball.

If you allow this top five offense to stay in the game, they will eventually burn you making shots over the course of the games.

Stiles points:

• Lu Dort absolutely dominated the Thunder’s first round by shutting down Brandon Ingram while launching triples at the other end.
• Josh Giddey continued to shoot the ball well in New Orleans, while the Smoothie King Center hoops were good for the No. 6 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had one breathtaking performance in this four-match set, but his life will become easier in the second round without a fantastic defender to match him.
• The Mavericks and Clippers will play in a Game 5 on Wednesday, which is usually the deciding factor. The winner of this series will head to the Paycom Center for Game 1 of the second round on Tuesday.

Song of the day: Return of the Mack by Mark Morrison.

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