Even with their playoff ticket punched and the number one seed already locked in place, the OKC Thunder still find themselves trying to put their best foot forward during these latter days of the 2024-25 regular season.
Such a sentiment was on full display Tuesday night as Oklahoma City squared off against a hungry and surging Los Angeles Lakers team still looking to clinch a top-six seed and avoid the play-in altogether.
Despite having just lost their previous face-off two days prior and even seeing a late-game deficit in their rematch, the Thunder kept their nose to the grindstone, clawing their way through high-end physicality, whistle-happy officiating, and a 75-point collective effort from the studly trio of LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves to pull out a 136-120 win.
Though the fact that they hold a 17-win edge over Los Angeles may have some believing such an outcome should have been expected, with the fact that OKC came in on a two-game losing streak and was blown out by this very same team not 48 hours earlier, momentum appeared to be on the side of the Lakers' leading into tip-off.
However, as seen throughout the campaign, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company are far from a team that can be confidently counted out.
Following their redemption win on Tuesday, the MVP favorite issued a two-word statement that not only reaffirms this but that the rest of the West mustn't forget, as he bluntly told sideline reporter, Nick Gallo: "We fight!"
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sums up Thunder mentality in two words
"We obviously got whopped last game [and] it left a bad taste in our mouth. We can't get whooped twice in a row. That's not our identity, that's not who we are. We come back, and we fight," Gilgeous-Alexander said.
His stance on not allowing his Thunder to be "whooped" in consecutive games has held rather strong throughout the season and is bound to be a rude awakening for any and all teams they face off against in the postseason.
Outside of their recent outlier of a losing stretch that saw end-of-game deficits of -14 and -27 against the Rockets and Lakers, respectively, Oklahoma City has gone on to net winning streaks of three, two, and 11 after having been downed by double-digits.
As far as his short and sweet "We fight" remark, not only does it hold true with their play but, also, their mental fortitude.
Their ability to drudge through on-court adversities is a sign of physical strength, while their aptitude for persevering and overcoming outside noise is a show of psychological toughness.
Since the start of the season, this Thunder team has heard it all -- They are lost on offense without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander; OKC is far too young to be seen as serious title threats; They aren't battle-tested.
Most recently, following their previous loss to the Lakers, the hot talking point was that they lack the playoff experience necessary to win a championship and, in turn, should be behind the likes of both Los Angeles teams and the seasoned Golden State Warriors in the championship favorites conversation.
With every one of these takes, the Thunder have swiftly managed to step up and silence the naysayers. Now, with just over a week to go before the start of the playoffs, fans and the franchise are champing at the bit as they await the opportunity to try and put this last one to rest as well.