The Oklahoma City Thunder limited the Boston Celtics to 27 points in the second half. Again, the Thunder rode its defensive principle to a win. If we look at the stats on the season from the defensive side, we can see how dominant the OKC Thunder defense is.<\/p>\n
Following the game against the Boston Celtics, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault had high praises for his team. He said<\/a>,<\/p>\n \u201cI thought our physicality in the second half was completely different.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The Thunder used seamless switching and relentless pressure to limit the Boston Celtics to only 27 points in the final 24 minutes. Their scheme showed why the Thunder are so dominant on the defensive end<\/a>.<\/p>\n One of the ways teams can be better defensively is to limit their mistakes, and force the opponents to make more mistakes. That is the basis of an NBA defense, limit the shot attempts of opponents, and maximize your own.<\/p>\n Well, the Thunder are best in both. They force the most steals<\/a> in the league at 11.8 while having the least amount of turnovers per game at 11.9. Against the Celtics, the Thunder had 11 steals, while the Celtics had six.<\/p>\n The Thunder have three players<\/a> in the top-five in steals per game in the league. Dyson Daniels<\/a> of the Hawks leads the list with 3.2, followed by Tyrese Maxey<\/a> at 2.1. Then, it is all OKC, with Shai Gilgelous-Alexander<\/a> getting two per game, and Jalen Williams<\/a> and Cason Wallace<\/a> getting 1.8. Alex Caruso<\/a> averages 1.9 per game, but he has missed several games and doesn\u2019t qualify.<\/p>\n Imagine when the best defense in the league, with a defensive rating of 102.7<\/a>, gets back its best defensive player. Chet Holmgren<\/a> has played in only 10 games. When he gets back, the Thunder’s defense might be even better. Caruso, a two-time All-Defensive guard, is also out with an injury. The team is also involved in some trade rumors<\/a>, and they might get even better by doing a trade.<\/p>\n It is crazy to think that the Thunder can get even better on that end of the floor. They allow almost four points less per 100 possessions than the second team in the league. The Orlando Magic have a defensive rating of 106.4, and the Houston Rockets round out the top-three at 106.7.<\/p>\n With the win against the Boston Celtics, the Thunder extended their win streak to a franchise-record<\/a> 15 games. No Thunder (or Seattle SuperSonics) team before, even the one with Kevin Durant<\/a> and Russell Westbrook<\/a> has had such a dominant stretch.<\/p>\n The team has won 60+ games only four times in its history, and only once as the Oklahoma City Thunder. That was during the 2012-13 season when they won 60 games, and Durant finished second in MVP voting. The three other 60+ win seasons came in the 90s when they were known as the Seattle Supersonics. Their record is 64 wins, during the 1995-96 season.<\/p>\nCan They Get Better Defensively?<\/h3>\n
OKC Thunder\u2019s Historic Season<\/h3>\n