"It's more accurate to say that the basketball that the Thunder play is absolutely masterful, equally astonishing and infuriating in interesting ways, but that the games in which they play it tend not to be very compelling. The NBA Cup quarterfinal game against the Phoenix Suns that got OKC to Saturday's semifinal game was a good example of this, and a totally miserable sit."
"The Thunder came into Saturday's NBA Cup semifinal against the San Antonio Spurs with a 24-1 record that both tied them for the best start in league history and might actually understate how dominant they've been over the season's first two months. They had won 16 straight since that sole loss, which came against the Blazers on November 6. It wasn't just that the Thunder romped in those wins, many of which came against lousy teams and virtually none of which were competitive."
The Oklahoma City Thunder deliver exceptional basketball marked by masterful offense and suffocating defense, yet many games are unengaging on television because they become routs. A Cup quarterfinal against the Phoenix Suns exemplified this dynamic, with OKC winning every quarter by large margins and posting elite shooting percentages while the contest never became competitive. The team entered a semifinal with a 24-1 record and a 16-game winning streak, dominating opponents to the extent that few games reveal how stronger teams might counter their physical defense and patient, ruthless offense.
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