We're witnessing history in Oklahoma City, and if you're not paying attention, you're missing something special.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are currently allowing eight points fewer per 100 possessions than the league average. That might not sound like much until you realize what that number means: it would be the most dominant defensive performance relative to the league in NBA history for a full season - outside of Bill Russell's legendary Boston Celtics teams from the 1960s.
Let me put that in perspective. According to Basketball Reference, only the 1963, 1962, 1965, and 1964 Celtics teams were better defensively relative to their era. That's it. Four teams in the history of basketball. And those teams had Bill Russell, arguably the greatest defender who ever lived.
The Thunder are doing this with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who's having an MVP-caliber season. They're doing it with Chet Holmgren, the rookie who everyone said was too skinny to play NBA defense. They're doing it with Lu Dort, who might be the best perimeter defender in basketball. And they're doing it with a system that is absolutely smothering opponents.
You know what I love about this Thunder team? They're young. They're hungry. And they're playing defense like it's a personal insult when someone scores on them. That's the mentality that wins championships.
General manager Sam Presti has built something special here. After trading away Russell Westbrook and Paul George, after the Oklahoma City Thunder went through the rebuild, after years of draft picks and player development - this is the payoff. This is what elite team-building looks like.
The numbers are staggering. Teams are shooting 43.2% from the field against the Thunder. That's the best in the league. Opponents are averaging just . In today's NBA, where teams regularly score 120, that's almost unheard of.
