5 reasons the Oklahoma City Thunder can win the NBA Championship

1. It’s the defense, stupid

We’ve often seen elite offense trump superb defense in the playoffs over the past few seasons. The Thunder represent one of the few teams that might be able to win reverse that trend and grind some of the NBA’s great offenses to dust. Two years ago when the Thunder went up 3-1 on the seemingly invincible 73-win Warriors, they transformed into a frantic, lengthy monstrosity that became impossible to score on for extended stretches.

This iteration of OKC probably doesn’t have that kind of defensive potential, especially with Andre Roberson done for the year. Yet OKC certainly has the pieces to become a defensive terror in the playoffs. The Thunder defense starts with Steven Adams, who has become a masterful defender in the pick and roll, with the quickness coral opposing ball handlers. He’s also perhaps the best offensive rebounder in the entire NBA, which gives OKC a huge advantage in transition defense as noted above.

Although Paul George’s defense has fallen off from its ridiculously lofty standards of late, he’s one of the league’s best wing defenders. To win the title you have to go through guys like Kevin Durant, James Harden, LeBron, Ben Simmons and DeMar DeRozan. Having a long, unscreenable guy like George on your team is of pivotal importance.

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Unsurprisingly, Russell Westbrook might be the x-factor for this team on defense. He’s a notoriously erratic defender that has all the tools to be a monster, but gambles far too often. Russell’s decisions routinely compromise the Thunder’s perimeter defense. Teams like Houston and Golden State, will punish those kinds of mistakes ruthlessly. If Russell can really lock in and give a disciplined effort on defense though, the Thunder could become the league’s toughest defense. They might be the most well-suited team in the NBA to defend the Rockets and Warriors given their mix of length, size and athleticism.

Finding the right lineup balance will be tricky Coach Donovan. In 2016, Donovan rendered the vaunted Warriors Death Lineup obsolete with the Westbrook, Waiters, Roberson, Durant and Ibaka wrecking crew. Can the Thunder uncover any such lineups this time around? Perhaps.  If they do, watch out. Something like an Adams, Patterson, George, Felton and Westbrook combo would provide a stout crunch time unit. That lineup has played only 18 minutes this whole season, but it offers a mix of tough defense and outside shooting.