OKC Thunder fail to play to defensive identity losing to Denver – 5 key takeaways

Closing Thought:

In a vacuum, this loss isn’t that big of a deal. The schedule, injuries, and cold shooting all played a part in the loss. Was it ideal to lose to a Northwest Division rival — no!

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But, being of the glass half full mindset, I still believe this squad will be the best defensive team in the NBA by year end. And, I’m also of the belief if Schroder figures out how to maximize his playmaking role with the second unit OKC could also have a top five bench unit.

Ultimately, that picture of Westbrook all by himself on the court getting up shots falls under the category of a picture is worth a 1,000 words. Westbrook took this one on the chin (and maybe he should), but given his nature, I’d expect to see an action follow this loss.

In fact, witnessing images of Westbrook with his head in his hands had me recalling a moment from last season. After the Thunder lost to the Magic in Orlando he was pictured in an eerily similar way (head in hands and distraught).

The resulting effect following the brooding Westbrook afterward was a 22-8 run by the Thunder or a 73.3 percent winning clip over 30 games. That run ended a game after Andre Roberson was injured in Detroit. Ironically, this year Roberson will be returning to a team who is currently ranked first defensively. That demonstrates just how talented and deep this iteration of the OKC Thunder are.