NBA fans have been treated to a pretty incredible postseason. In the East, the Pacers have come out of nowhere to reach the Finals, and they did it behind a string of stirring comebacks against the Bucks, Cavs and Knicks. Out West, the Thunder have been the favorites all year, but many doubted they’d be quite as dominant in the playoffs. The Nuggets pushed them to seven games, but other than that, they’ve stamped themselves as one of the best statistical teams of all time.
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OKC is led by this year’s MVP and scoring champ, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but they also boast the league’s best defense. They thrive on creating havoc, disrupting passing lanes, and turning turnovers into easy points on the other end.
Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves reached the Western Conference Finals for the second year in a row, but they were summarily dismissed by OKC in five games. Ant is one of the ascendant stars in the league, but even he was held to under 20 points in three of Minnesota’s four losses in the series.
After being eliminated, he described the Thunder’s defense as “15 puppets on one string,” an apt metaphor for the NBA’s most coordinated and suffocating D. LeBron James and Steve Nash paraphrased Edwards in their most recent episode of Mind the Game, while listing the reasons behind Mark Daigneault’s club being so stingy on the defensive end.
“OKC is, in a way, the future of defense,” Nash said. “I think it’s easy to say that it comes down to coaching, but it really comes down to personnel, ’cause not every defense has the defenders OKC has or the IQ that they have.”
OKC’s defense has excellent individual defenders who work effectively together
Nash spoke about what makes the Thunder’s team defense so special. From the versatility of their personnel, to the way they’re able to mix and match between man and zone, to the way they constantly find a way to get their hands on passes and create doubt even in star offensive players. LeBron then dove into why Edwards’ quote was so perfect.
“Fifteen guys on a puppet string. That means every single one of ’em are connected. You slide, I slide. You move, I move,” LeBron said. He then went down the list of individually brilliant defenders, from the perimeter-oriented trio of Jalen Williams, Lu Dort and SGA, to the rim-protecting athleticism of Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren.
LeBron also shouted out his former teammate Alex Caruso (or as he called him, “the ultimate Swiss army knife”), who really has been the perfect addition to this team after coming to OKC in an offseason trade for Josh Giddey. Caruso’s unselfishness, work ethic, and ability to guard multiple positions are emblematic of why this defense and this team are so good.
The Pacers hope their unique offensive recipe can break through OKC’s vaunted defense
The Thunder have frustrated even the likes of Edwards and Nikola Jokic in these playoffs, but if there’s one team that could make them uncomfortable, it may be the Pacers. Indiana is extremely deep, and led by Tyrese Haliburton, they play at an incredibly fast pace but don’t turn the ball over much.
“I’m super intrigued on seeing how the controlled chaos of the Indiana Pacers offensively — pace, space, randomness — matches up with the ’15 guys on a puppet string’ defensive mindset of the Oklahoma City Thunder,” LeBron said. “I think it’s a perfect matchup.”
The Thunder and Pacers met just twice in the regular season, with OKC taking both games. SGA averaged 39 points, while Haliburton averaged only 11. As the Pacers have shown by reaching the Finals as a 4-seed, though, the regular season doesn’t matter once the slates are wiped clean.
This is going to be a fun clash of differing basketball philosophies. Will the Thunder kickstart a dynasty? Or will the Pacers’ magic continue? Tune in to ABC tomorrow night at 8:30 p.m. ET when Game 1 tips off to find out.
