Can The Thunder Be Beat?

After watching the Thunder-Timberwolves game last night, I don't think there is a team left that can compete with the Thunder. Let’s discuss.

The Thunder look like they might have a cakewalk through the finals no matter who the opponent ends up being. This is no disrespect to the Pacers, Knicks or Timberwolves. The Thunder look damn near unbeatable at the moment. They may have already had their toughest series, last round against the Nuggets. It took them seven games to dispose of Denver, but game seven of that series showed me pretty much all I needed to see. They had a rough first quarter in that game, and then they totally ran away with it. I believe they won that game by 30 plus points. And they have easily disposed of the Timberwolves in the first two games of the West Finals. I have been rooting for the Timberwolves ever since the Thunder cruised against my team in round one, the Grizzlies. I'm a big Anthony Edwards fan, Julius Randle has always had a fan in me and I like their head coach. But, there is little the T'Wolves can do because this Thunder team is deep, their defense is elite, they can score in a ton of ways and everything has led them to this moment.

The Thunder are relentless on both ends of the floor. I know people complain about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the fact that he may or may not "foul bait", but that is part of the modern game. If SGA can get to the line 10-12 times a game that is an extra 10-12 points per game for the team. That is smart basketball and every big time player does it in the league now. Until the refs decide to stop buying in, it is going to become more and more of an issue and every player will do it anyway. That is the current nature of the game.

SGA also happens to be awesome at basketball. He is the MVP after all. But it isn't just him. Lu Dort is a solid three point shooter, and one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. He is like a tank trying to move, and he is constantly going for the steal. Alex Caruso is much of the same, and he can guard anyone, be they a point guard or a center. He guarded Nikola Jokic in game seven of the last round. Chet Holmgren is still skin and bones, but the dude can block shots and make threes when given the chance. Aaron Wiggins is replicating what his brother did for the Warriors during their Finals run in 2022. Cason Wallace is earning big time minutes on the best team in the league as a rookie. He is a hound on defense and he is making great decisions on offense. Isaiah Joe is liable to hit three or four threes a night on very limited minutes. Isaiah Hartenstein was a massive addition last offseason, and that move is paying dividends at the best possible time. Jalen Williams has been kind of up and down during this run offensively, but he has brought it every night on defense, and when he is on offensively, you may as well call it a night if you are their opponent. Teams usually trim their roster down during the playoffs to six or maybe seven guys. The Thunder are still playing damn near ten dudes every night, thus keeping the integral players healthy, rested and ready when they need them most.

I'm in awe of the way they're playing right now, and it is primarily their defense. The offense has done enough, but the defense is literally winning them games. They're constantly in passing lanes, they go for steals all the time, they get blocks at a consistent rate, they hamper what the other team wants to do and they frustrate them to no end. They are showing everyone that defense truly wins titles.

The series, and playoffs for that matter, are far from over. But, it damn near looks inevitable that the Thunder will win the first title in their short run as a franchise. This team has made all the right moves, drafted good fits and hired the right coaches. All of that should end up with them winning the chip in a few short weeks. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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