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Lu Dort Reveals Biggest Hurdles in OKC Thunder’s 2025 Championship Journey

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Amulya Shekhar | Last updated Jul 3, 2025 6:26 PM ET

The Oklahoma City Thunder have their depth to thank for their imperious 2025 playoffs run and win. Yes, MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deserves the lion’s share of credit for the kind of outings that he had. In a vacuum, however, they don’t win without the likes of Lu Dort and Alex Caruso playing on their wing. The point of attack defense from OKC was a large part of their defensive identity and gave them their steel.

Lu Dort finished the NBA Finals with 17 threes made, shooting 44.2% from range. His output was quite crucial in most of their wins, especially early on in the series. SGA was having trouble getting past the Pacers’ defenders, mainly Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard, who were pesky and handsy. In times of need, SGA looked to his best shooters. And despite his lowly reputation on offense, Lu Dort was on point.

However, their lack of consistent team offense was also a reason why OKC had so many close shaves. In the second round, they got themselves into a 1-0 deficit and also lost Game 6 in Denver in a blowout. Although the betting odds indicated that they were still favored at those points, as well as in the Finals after their deficit, it was clear that the team needed to find a new gear at various points to grind out wins.

Lu Dort admitted as much in a recent interview. Speaking on ESPN Wednesday morning, the All-Defensive Team member said:

Denver Nuggets was the one that had us shaking a little bit. They won before and had been in that type of position.

Dort had this to say regarding Game 4 against the Indiana Pacers, when they were down 2-1:

We were a little nervous. I’m gonna be honest, but we just knew that we could get it done.

Lu Dort on which teams had OKC worried during the playoffs:

“The Nuggets had us shaking a bit… and Game 4 against the Pacers. We were nervous for that game, not gonna lie.”

(h/t @LeagueAlerts) pic.twitter.com/PdD1wqKWB0
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 3, 2025

Despite their numerous jitters during the playoff run, and arguably a blown Finals game 1 in which they allowed Tyrese Haliburton to give the Indiana Pacers their first lead after 47:57 of game time, the manner of OKC’s recovery was quite impressive given how young the team is.

Lu Dort and Alex Caruso make up the NBA’s most intimidating defensive backcourt duo

The OKC Thunder were one of the greatest modern NBA defenses in regular season history last year. They relied on their swarming perimeter defenders like Dort, Caruso and Cason Wallace to cause discomfort to the opponents’ ballhandlers. Their aggressive and disruptive approach proved to be quite effective against nearly every opponent they faced as they forced many turnovers and transition opportunities.

Lu Dort has long been clamoring for an All-Defensive team recognition. The 6’5″ small forward/shooting guard was arguably snubbed at least twice before his First Team nod this year. Although many criticize how referees allow Dort to get away with more contact than the average defender, he is a fundamentally good defender who can hold his own against practically any player in the league even when refereed tightly.

Much of their playoff run was dependent on how well Dort and his super sub Caruso would fare against the opposition’s best ballhandler. If the duo managed to impose their physical presence and navigate the referees, the Thunder were more or less guaranteed to win. Their performances hinged on their defensive duo, which isn’t something a lot of wing defensive duos in NBA history can say.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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