Oklahoma City Thunder: 3 reasons they’re still legitimate contenders

1. Defense travels

Although the Oklahoma City Thunder have had an extremely inconsistent offense this season, their defense, for the most part, has been consistently great. On the season, the Thunder have the fourth-best defensive rating at 106.1, and even over this cold stretch since the All-Star break, have still had a top-10 defense in the league.

Oklahoma City is currently first in steals per game, first in deflections, second in points off turnovers per game, ninth in defensive rebounds per game and 11th in blocks per game. This is key considering defense travels. Offense is never something you can count on down the stretch on the road. Defense is something you can rely on, regardless of whether you’re playing on the road or at home.

With all of these things being considered, there is no reason the Oklahoma City Thunder should not be a legitimate contender. If their inconsistent offense comes back around and they get hot again at the right time, they have shown their ceiling is one of the best teams in the NBA. With playoff experience, star power and defense, the Thunder are not a team other should want to match up with.