THUNDER STRIKE

The Oklahoma City started off the season 0-4 and I made sure to let everyone know this team was destined to dominate. PG and Westbrook have found a way to both dominate games and the bench have given them heavy support.

Since the start of the Billy Donovan era I have believed they needed a whole new coaching staff. It seems Billy Donovan has really learned how to shape his pieces together and make them work.

From 0-4 to 16-7 the Thunder hold the 2nd seed and are 0.5 games behind first place to the 17-7 Denver Nuggets.The Thunder have the #1 rated defense (102.1) in the NBA and rank 4th in opponents ppg (104.0). This is extremely helpful as their offense mainly runs through Westbrook and PG. Out of the 23 games the Thunder have played 21 of them include Westbrook and George leading in scoring (Schroder and Adams having the other two).

These are currently the numbers the Crew is ageraging:

Via: Basketballreference.com

This team is special because no matter who they put on the floor they continue to dominate. The Thunder are still missing Andre Roberson who is recoverinf from an achilles injury. Adding him to the already best defense in the league will be something to watch. The crazy part is Westbrook is still averaging a triple double despite having as deep a roster as he has ever had. With help from players like Schroder, Diallo, Ferguson, Abrines, Patterson and Noel this bench has been able to overachieve and dominate.

I believe the Oklahoma City Thunder are the best team in the West right now. They can compete with any team in the league. Using great ball movement and playing through their stars their offense is flowing. But using all the athleticism they have, OKC has created the best defense in the league and they continue to disrupt offenses holding teams to terrible offensive stretches.

OKC has picked up some big wins this season against the Clippers, Pelicans and Warriors. These are teams they will most likely face in the playoffs. They will most likely lock a top 3 seed and make the WCF. With Roberson they can probably compete and make the NBA finals. They can beat anyone in a 7 game series. Does not mean tjey are ultimately better but for 7 games they can be.

P. S…The Thunder are my underdog to win the championship and although they do not need it I think they should pursue a trade for Trevor Ariza. He would be a great fit on this squad.