The Thunder Look Unstoppable After Game 1 Domination!

This could be the takeaway after every Thunder game, and it’s a scary sight for non-OKC fans. The Suns have good players in Devin Booker, Jalen Green, and Dillon Brooks, and none of them were able to generate easy shots. Out of the 84 points scored by Phoenix, only 24 points were scored in the paint.

That puts so much pressure on the jumpshot ability of guys like Booker and Green. Oklahoma City made it nearly impossible to score near the rim. It took Brooks two circus shots near the rim just for the ball to get in. To make matters worse, Phoenix doesn’t have a dominant big man who could help generate open shots for the perimeter players or get easy points in the paint.

With the plethora of wing defenders that the Thunder have, the Suns are a perfect match-up for them. In addition to the seven blocks, Oklahoma City forced 13 steals and 17 overall. Those 17 turnovers turned into 34 points for the home team.

Phoenix, meanwhile, forced just six turnovers and generated two points off of them. That was the main difference in the game. If Booker and company can’t generate any offense inside the paint, it is going to be a long series for them.

Can the Suns adjust for Game Two?

Everyone On Offense Is A Threat

What makes Oklahoma City so scary is that their MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, could go 5/18 from the field and 0/4 from three and still be able to generate offense. The Thunder ended up scoring 119 points against the ninth ranked defnsive rating in the regular season.

Seven players scored eight or more points. No one on the Thunder’s offense can be dismissed. Normally, defenses let certain players shoot when the game plan is to double the best player.

When the Suns attempt to double Gilegous-Alexander, who can they lay off of? Everyone, except for Alex Caruso, shoots north of 34% from three. It’s a tough ask for defenders.

The return of Jalen Williams is so big for that offense. He had played only 33 games in the regular season, nursing a wrist injury early in the season and then a hamstring injury later. He came back with a few games left in the regular season to knock off the rust.

Now, Williams looks like he is in full swing. He scored 22 points on 9/15 shooting and added seven rebounds along with six assists. He looks healthy and whole.

Oklahoma City also got good contributions from Chet Holmgren. He set the tone, scoring 13 points in the first quarter, and got the offense going. The big three looked good, and the role players were hitting open shots. There’s not much anyone can do to stop that.

End Of Thunder Domination Rant

Oklahoma City is seeking a feat that no team has done in over seven years: Winning back-to-back championships.

The first game was just proof that some team is going to have to take that title away from the Thunder. They are not going to fumble it away as they are too well-coached and too talented to do so. They are a well-oiled machine.

For the Suns, their mindset has to be that it’s just one game. They will be getting more rest between Game One and Game Two than they did between the play-in game and Game One. They need to hope that Grayson Allen makes a key difference, and the extra rest can lead to better offensive activity. Either way, Phoenix has a tall task ahead of them.