OKC Thunder return to identity – 3 takeaways from important win vs. Blazers
Defensive identity rules:
After dominating sub .500 squads through the first half of the season the OKC Thunder were mired in a mini slump. Every team goes through ebbs and flows, ups and downs in season but the worry for the Thunder was the one thing which defines the team was missing — their defense.
The majority of the season the OKC Thunder sat atop the league ranked with the best defensive team in several categories. But, since the New Year, they weren’t looking remotely close to themselves. It wasn’t just hustle plays or 50-50 balls either. Rather, the real concern was how many points the Thunder were allowing opponents to score.
Between weeks eight and 12 of action, the Thunder allowed opponents to score an average of 104.4 points and 105.8 points per game. That placed them well within the top 10 defensive teams. But, since the New Year the Thunder rank 29th allowing teams to score an average of 120.7 points. Part of this can be credited to increased competition but for the points to balloon by almost 15 points it was clear the Thunder weren’t dialed in defensively.
Russell Westbrook on if Paul George should be Defensive Player of the Year: “He should be. They may have already picked one already.” pic.twitter.com/cyBPqIowd1
— Erik Horne (@ErikkHorne) January 23, 2019
This was made abundantly clear in the losses to the Hawks (142 points allowed) and Lakers without LeBron James (138 points allowed). In the five recent losses, the Thunder allowed an average of 133.8 points per game. Removing the overtime frames doesn’t ease the concern as it merely shaves just under six points off the total or 128 points per game.
Fortunately, those last two losses to the Hawks and Lakers seemed to snap the team back into remembering who they were – a defensive juggernaut.
Bottom line, when the Thunder play with a defense first attitude their game benefits on both sides of the court. And, on night’s when the ball isn’t dropping OKC’s defense will keep them close enough to steal the win. If you listen to some of the old school coaches one thing you’ll hear them reference is the one thing you can count on traveling – it’s defense.
In the win over Portland, the defense made the difference as the Thunder snagged 16 steals and forced 20 turnovers. Most teams would salivate to get either of those two stats in a game let alone both.
The moral of the story? Lead with your identity — DEFENSE!