Dean Blevins: 9 Syllables, 1 Statement, OKC proves its might in Boston

Nine syllables summed up OKC’s significant 118-112 win last night in Boston. “Dat boy good.” Jaylen Brown’s nonplussed summation of what had just hit him. The all-star marginalized on both ends, shooting 5-of-15 before fouling out, and surrendering to numbers that were average for one Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The other six syllables from the active mind of one Mark Daignault. “We are in March, not June.” Succinct and wise wording from both. On a night Boston’s Al Horford – a Thunder/Florida/Billy Donovan devotee & spectacular human being – knocked down four straight early threes, a tiny piece of 63 team-record Boston hoists from behind the stripe. 

Rotating a swarm of young and talented bodies and minds like Cason Wallace, OKC did what it’s done best this season. Win with suffocating defense, along with a bevy of unselfish shooters and slashers and stallions. And the front office brains are only equaled by its head coach.

It was a great sign for the locals that Chet Holmgren manned up and looked like the player other teams were afraid he’d become. He has a combative, fearless, scary-good talent from three to the rim, where he both scores and defends with the best of them. 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 15 rebounds.

Meanwhile, the champs lost their minds. Hitting nine 3s and zero 2s in the first quarter. They found that OKC doesn’t get beat off the dribble. The Thunder is finding more fierce opposition from the national Fourth Estate Doubters than teams like the NBA defending champion Celtics; the bunch OKC beat on ON THE ROAD last night despite missing two elite injured defenders; J-Dub Williams averages 21+, is a 2025 all-star, and is tasked with the responsibility of making up any needed offensive punch when SGA rests. And Alex Caruso, who also gets some starts, is an acknowledged pain in the arse for NBA scorers because of his sly wisdom, along with the anticipation, explosion & tenacity of a Doberman.  

Some heavyweight skeptics continue using the tired excuse for months that they’ve been told NBA players are not concerned about having to deal with the Thunder in the playoffs – “not ready.”

Another Doubting Thomas today is dubiously pontificating that it doesn’t mean didley squat that the Thunder is about to shatter the all-time NBA record for average margin of victory. Logic, of course, being that an adequate analysis of OKC’s worth can’t be made until “they played more close games!” Doubting their “postseason formidability because they really don’t get tested much…. This season, they’ve had four games decided by one possession. They’re 0-4 in those games. The Pacers also have just four games decided by a single possession, but they’ve won three of those matchups.” OMG. It's the same folks who complain if their free seat in the stadium press boxes is on the 49-yard line.

Next, we’ll hear that since Boston shot 63 3s and made 20 of them, you really can’t read too much into OKC’s win because they’ll fix that.

The truth is that Boston defended SGA about as well as any. Still, Shai posted 34 points and seven assists. And while Boston was scrambling around playing catchup to no avail, they’re just like all the other teams: left trying to figure out what to do with all of Big Blue’s defensive traps & doubles & swarming hands; and legs and arms and brains the Thunder has developed into a lethal defense that both ranks and plays like it’s the best in the league.

Forty-three missed threes are not a winning formula. And while we now should know that the Celtics are beatable, we learn with SGA on the bench nine minutes, the subs sans J-Dub, outscored the champs by 3. Problem-solving, the coach would say. An invaluable attribute that continues to turn setbacks into comebacks.