For all of the talent that the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder boasts across their deep roster, like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Ajay Mitchell, and more, this team made its name, claim to fame, and won a ring off the backs of their unbelievably dominant defense.

This year, we have seen the Thunder defense dominate, but at times fade into the background. Over the last month, OKC's defense has fallen off a bit, leading to some shaky moments in games against the 76ers and Hawks most recently. Luckily, the Thunder were still able to get the job done, winning both nights of the back-to-back, but after the game, Shai spoke about how this team has to return to its defensive identity if it wants any chance at repeating and raising the Larry O'Brien trophy again in June.

"The last couple of weeks, we've learned that we got to get back to ourselves defensively if we want to win big in this league. That's where we've hung our hat when it matters most and be able to get the job done. We can't let that slip if we want to achieve our goals. The past couple of weeks have been pretty evident."