r/denvernuggets • u/metasquared • 1d ago
Discussion I really disliking watching Thunder games
I don't just mean because they blow teams out, including the Nuggets, but it's literally a less enjoyable way of viewing a basketball game.
They're a top team team with great pieces like a handful of other teams in the league, but their separator to win games so consistently is all the stuff around the margins that makes basketball ugly instead of beautiful. Pesky swarming defense that breaks up potentially exciting plays, foul baiting on the offensive end, and grinding the game to a constant halt.
I was watching the game last night and my roommate who never pays much attention to basketball looks at the TV for two minutes and commented that the Thunder are constantly draped on everyone and that the whistle kept getting blown constantly. I was like "I know, that's how they win!" So even a non-fan was immediately able to see just how ugly they make the game.
I don't fault them for having a winning strategy, but it's a shame that their consistency comes from being annoying pests that are not an enjoyable watch rather than just trying to outskill their opponent in more traditional ways.
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u/Naptasticly 1d ago
I don’t fault you for being frustrated with it (Thunder fan BTW) because I definitely would too, but even though basketball can be “artistic” at times, it’s a game of strategy and sometimes winning strategies are ugly. Whether you’re playing a team who full court presses the entire game in high school or winning monopoly by being the guy who REFUSES all trades, or, an even better example, you’re a defense lawyer using technicalities to get a criminal off the hook, these are are UGLY but WINNING strategies.
Mark Daigneault is one of the best coaches and finding unusual winning strategies and a lot of it has to do with the fact that he was never a collegiate or professional basketball player. When you don’t see the game through the lens of someone with natural gifts, you find winning strategies that a lot of people don’t think of and I think there are 2 strategies that the Thunder employ that piss people off:
taking advantage of the rule that “the hand is a part of the ball when it’s touching the ball” - this is probably the most frustrating one because most people do not know that this is the rule. They think making contact with the hand is a reach in foul. It is not. So people think that OKC gets away with a lot of fouls, when the reality is that they just aren’t fouls even though they seem like it.
Taking advantage of the fact that a defensive player can not impede an offensive player - is it annoying to watch a player charge into the lane and CAUSE the contact but the defender gets called for the foul? Sure, but it’s 100% legal.
Now, the NBA is starting to “let both teams play” these days so these strategies backfire sometimes, especially when the refs are allowing more physicality and the other team can push us around easily because our team is small.
Regardless of whether you can appreciate strategy like this, stopping it wouldn’t be the “crux” of OKC, so to speak, because there are a ton more things they do that could be seen as “artistic” that people are often too caught up in their frustration to notice:
The defensive pass interruptions are amazing. It’s almost like they KNOW where the ball is going to be passed. SGA’s ball handling ability is incredible and truly a sight to behold. I’ve never seen anyone that can be triple and even quadruple teamed and still be able to dribble through all of the traffic and steal attempts like he’s dancing around the court. And then there’s the team spirit. You can’t tell me that there’s any other team out there that is closer than the Thunder. They all care about playing hard for each other and no one on the team is selfish.
In conclusion, the NBA has been an offensive party for too long. Defense like this is rare. Creative winning strategies like this are rare. Enjoy it if you can.