On Sunday, the OKC Thunder won a sloppy affair against the Minnesota Timberwolves by a final score of 116-103. In a game where Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put forth one of his worst offensive performances of the season, the team leaned on its bench to outscore the Wolves by 19 in the second half.
Though Minnesota left much to be desired in its fourth loss in five games, head coach Chris Finch and company chose to peddle a narrative after the game that has seemed to consume them for some time now.
Finch appeared on Wolves Radio Sunday afternoon and spoke about the Thunder's defense, but instead of complimenting them for forcing 22 turnovers, he took a different approach.
"If you watch [the Thunder's] defenders play defense, they're grabbing a whole lot, too... I thought a few of [Hartenstein's screens] were highly questionable, whether they were legal or not, but... You gotta make them miss,"Â Finch said.
T-Wolves star Anthony Edwards didn't make matters any better, calling OKC an "AAU" defense after the game, addressing their hectic, physical style of play, and adding it's not anything he and his teammates haven't seen before.
Wolves' obsession with Thunder whistle becoming a trend
The comments come after a dismal performance by the Wolves. They blew a six-point lead at halftime in a game where they allowed 29 points off turnovers, 15 offensive rebounds, and recorded just 18 assists on offense.
Yet they chose to air out frustrations about OKC and the officiating.
Minnesota's refusal to acknowledge the Thunder's defensive prowess in any sort of professional way is nothing new. Last season, Finch also called them out, accusing them of being handsy and fouling all the time.
Heck, even earlier this year, the headman got tossed out of the first game of this regular-season series against Oklahoma City.
It's clear this team gets up to play the Thunder. After getting ousted by them in last season's Western Conference Finals, the T-Wolves seem to bring a different emotional level to the court when playing their nemesis.
NBA teams can't get the Thunder's officiating narrative out of their heads
Sunday represents the fourth time in the past five contests in which opposing players and coaches have said something about how the officials handle the Thunder.
OKC has won all four.
It appears that complaints about officiating have begun to dominate the narrative surrounding the blue and orange. Dealing with the reigning champs is difficult enough, but trying to beat them while worrying about each and every whistle is proving to be an impossible task as of late.
The sentiments are a stark contrast to the way Thunder coach Mark Daigneault handles his postgame pressers.
After each game, Daigneault discusses it professionally, speaking positively about players on both his team and the opposition.
Since the start of his tenure in Oklahoma City, he has preached the necessity to get better every day, and his players have bought in.
SGA has expressed his inability to control the officiating and has chosen to focus on the aspects of his game directly within his control. In turn, this mindset has trickled down to the rest of the team.
Through sheer mindset, the Thunder appear to have found their biggest advantage yet. It was on full display once again in the cake-walk win over Minnesota, and it is becoming more commonplace by the day.