Paulo Alves

But I do, and I might even agree that with the experience and with having KD, you might have a better chance of beating them with this year's team.

But point stands, and the overarching point was last year's team was the worst matchup for the Thunder than I think this year's team is.

just based on identity and based on the fact that we could muddy the game up enough to make any team play close to us and right now it doesn't seem like we can make the game explosive enough for us to be competitive with every team because that's the trade-off that we made the defense is a lot worse the offense is a lot better but I don't think the offense has been enough better to compensate I guess

But yeah, I think that kind of explained my point.

You know, for me to be fully bought in, I need to see at least the ability to in stretches play to that level of defense.

Yes, but still I cannot, and I think this goes back to nearly every, nearly every championship team in the last few years, you know, you always have to have, you know,

I'm not going to go back to it.

You always have to have the ability to walk in on defense when it matters most.

They're not just in the fourth quarter.

I mean, when the other team's going on a run or when your shot's not falling.

That ability is what I'm missing from believing on the upside of this team.

And once we get it, I'll fully buy in.

Regarding the trade, I mean, yes, you do have to give to get 100%.

But judging by what the trade looked like at the time, I guess the expectation, and for me as well, was that we were, at least on the short term,

giving off less than we were getting back.

And the results haven't reflected that yet.

And the logic back then, and then I think that still holds, was that the defense was not going to take as much of a step back as it did, nor that as a sacrifice for all we were getting on offense.

And that hasn't materialized.

That doesn't mean it won't.

But that's why it's, to me, to view this team and to take this team as seriously as being a threat to the Thunder, I need to see that.