Ben DuBose

To win a playoff series, you need some degree of consistency and the inability to struggle.

string consistent good performances together, especially since the calendar turned to December and now into January, yeah, it's a fair concern.

Just want to note that the season-long numbers are still really good, but it does feel like there's issues with consistency in terms of how those numbers were accumulated.

And

The reason I'm more optimistic than you about putting them right behind the Thunder, I am putting more weight on their performances against really good teams.

And maybe there's some small sample theater to that, but I'm a believer at this point that...

that when the lights are at their brightest and they play the really good non-Thunder teams, there seems to be a consistent ability to tap into that extra gear.

So that's why I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt.

But the next week will certainly test that.

Their next four games, two in Philadelphia and Detroit.

Detroit's a contender.

Philadelphia's probably not a contender, but a good team.

And it's on the road.

It's a back-to-back.

And then a rematch with the Spurs next Wednesday.

So this theory of mine will be tested a little bit over the next week.

But the reason I think I'm a little bit more optimistic than you, Paolo, they do seem to have the ability when the lights are at their brightest and they're playing the really good teams to tap into that peak version of their defense.

I go back to probably the best defensive performance I've seen from them all year was that second game in Denver when they came in and this was when the Nuggets had Jokic.

This was when

The controversial game earlier that week went against them, and the Rockets went in.