The OKC Thunder proved themselves to be a truly elite defensive unit during the 2024-25 season, finishing with the highest defensive rating in the league at 106.6, the lowest per-game opponent field goal percentage of 43.6, and the third-lowest average opponent points scored with 107.6.
On top of this, among players who started in 40 or more games on the year, five members of this Oklahoma City squad were found ranked within the top 10 in defensive rating.
Yet, despite this proven excellence, Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon believes their efforts in holding Denver to 106 points on 37.9 percent shooting from the field in Wednesday's Game 2 blowout may have been more related to uncalled illegal contact and a lack of whistles blown than anything else.
When asked during his post-game locker room interview if there are schemes they can run to free up space for teammates, namely Nikola Jokic, on offense while OKC plays suffocating defense, the veteran stated that while there are methods, he believes that the refs are allowing the Thunder to use illegal approaches in the physicality department that, to him, make such gameplanning useless.
"If [the refs] are gonna let them push him, let them shove him, put two hands on him, root him out at the knee, you got elbows, and all types of stuff they're doing to him that's not necessarily legal, there's not much that you can do. [Jokic] has got to play through it if they're not going to call it and they're not gonna call it... They're fouling the guy," Gordon said.
Aaron Gordon says Thunder are getting away with illegal contact
This type of rhetoric is far from new for the Thunder to be hit with, as Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch even went on record earlier in the season by bluntly stating, "they foul all the time," in reference to OKC.
Of course, what's interesting about the headman's remarks was that Oklahoma City's apparent slap-happy style of play proved to be a major reason why the T-wolves won the particular contest in which these comments were made.
The same could arguably be said for why Gordon's Nuggets are tied up 1-1 in this best-of-seven semifinal series.
So far in round two, Denver is the team most benefited by the officiating crew's whistle play, as they lead the league in free throw attempts per game with 32.5.
Even more notable, Jokic personally ranks fourth among his peers in charity stripe visits during the conference semifinals with 9.0 a night, while three Nuggets in total are found listed within the top 10.
So while Aaron Gordon may believe the Thunder to be a very "handsy" team, in truth, they've actually benefited from this type of play, as roughly 23 percent of their points have been generated from the foul line.
Now, do missed calls happen? Absolutely -- just ask Detroit's Tim Hardaway Jr.
With that being said, such a phenomenon happens at the expense of everyone, and to see a player on the team who's been impacted by foul calls in the most positive manner so far in the second round of the playoffs seems a bit odd.