Thunder: an overwhelmed defense and the brilliance of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the victory against the Cavs

“Defense, defense”, shout the fans of Oklahoma City Thunder in the stands of the Paycom Center. And the players of the NBA Western Conference leader respond in spades. If, as they say, defense wins championships, the team led by Mark Daigneault is on the best possible path: with an overwhelming defense defeated Cleveland Cavaliers by a resounding 134-114 to take revenge for the defeat suffered eight days earlier against the same rival, the best in the East.
“Every time the Cleveland players lower the ball close to the floor, the Thunder five appear like piranhas,” says Alejandro Pérez in his story in the broadcast of the game that was enjoyed on AM850 and Disney+. The metaphor is perfect. The attitude and defensive work of the players dressed in orange this Thursday is, and has been throughout the season, the best in the entire league.
The Thunder, the team that recovers the most balls in the NBA with 11.6 per game, had 12 steals of the ball in this duel between the teams with the best record in the competition. And he scored 30 points from the 21 losses they caused to the Cavaliers, who in the first half already had 12 that had led to 22 points for Oklahoma City.
Each offensive action by the Cavs required too much work to find a good shot, something they achieved on rare occasions. OKC’s first half, with a 26-point lead, was overwhelming. And he built everything from the defense.
The absences of their most important big men, Chet Holgmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, did not cause any problems for the Thunder to control Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, the Cavs’ dominant inside players. Because? Because the pressure on the first defensive line was so intense that those led by Kenny Atkinson played absolutely uncomfortable and unable to get the ball into the paint.
Jalen Williams, Luguentz Dort and Alex Caruso are the standard bearers of this very difficult wall to overcome that OKC proposes.
The cry of “defense, defense” was more than a request, it was a recognition of the Thunder’s enormous work in that phase of the game. And he did it against the team with the best field goal percentage (50.2%) and the second with the most points (122.3) in the league.
But Oklahoma City not only defends solidly and consistently, but In attack, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he is also brilliant and effective.
In the overwhelming victory against Cleveland, in which they had a maximum difference of 42 points, the Thunder showed that they know how to generate comfortable, high-percentage shots. He does not live on triple income, although it is a resource that he uses when he considers it necessary. AND had an exceptional Shai with 40 points.
The parity in the game between the two best teams in the NBA ended soon: it promised to deliver another battle like the one on January 8 in which there were 30 changes in the leader of the scoreboard and only showed 5, all in the first quarter. Pure and exclusive responsibility of the basketball clinic offered by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The public bid farewell standing and applause to their team, a serious candidate for the title.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the best player in the NBA
At this point in the season, almost halfway through the long road, there is no doubt: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the best player. He was already a serious candidate to win the MVP award a couple of times. In the 2024-2025 campaign he is willing to sweep the vote.
In the victory against the Cavs that left both teams with a record of 34 wins and 6 losses, Shai scored 40 points on 17-26 shooting from the field and a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line. In addition, he distributed 8 assists.
Shai scored with absolute ease, as we are accustomed to. His mid-range shot was indefensible, as were his drives to the rim.
The Canadian has already reached 24 games this season with at least 30 points and reached 18 games with 40 points in the Thunder, only surpassed by Kevin Durant (46) and Russell Westrbook (43) in the history of the franchise.
For this memorable performance, Shai was only on the court for 29 minutes and 14 seconds. He did not need to participate in the last quarter of a duel that was already sentenced. No one in the history of the Thunder or the Supersonics scored that much in such a short time.
But Shai has a very clear objective: that all his contribution serves to reach the maximum, the title of NBA champion.
And their companions know that their leader can lead them to that destination.
The recipe is clear: defense, defense and more defense. Then, give the ball to Shai to solve.