OKC Thunder Defensive Ace Discusses What it Takes to Win a Title

The Oklahoma City Thunder have hopes of capturing its first NBA championship this season with a 52-11 record to date, sitting as the Western Conference's No. 1 seed by 11 game. This on the heels of a 57 win campaign a year ago that saw OKC win its first playoff series since Kevin Durant was in town and earn its second ever sweep.

This offseason, the Thunder added veteran Alex Caruso to one of the youngest rosters in the league. The defensive stalwart has already won a championship in his career and has seen what separates good teams from great ones.

"I mean, when you earn it you earn it. You gotta be a good team. You gotta have some All-Stars, you gotta have superstar level talent. Guys that can make buckets. You gotta have good defense, you gotta be together and you gotta have a high-level of competitive resilience. If you have those things, you have a chance," Caruso said. "I believe I can win any game that I am playing in. I have to have that blackout mentality to get to the league and get to this point in my career, and that is something that I try to rub off on teammates and teams that I have been apart of."

The Thunder have been put under a microscope, especially their age as Oklahoma City still deploys one of the youngest rosters in the NBA. Though, the veteran guard shed light on that experience (or lack thereof) and how a team will know when they are ready.

"If you are ready, you are ready. It doesn't matter if you have a couple years of experience, ten years experience. Obviously, it would help to have more. But at the end of the day, basket is ten feet, balls the same weight. Still three refs, still five-on-five, game is the game. You gotta throw the ball up and play the game," Caruso added.

One of the ways that the defensive ace has attempted to be a leader in the locker room was earlier this season. The 30-year-old dusted off his 2019-20 championship ring he won in the bubble with the Los Angeles Lakers to showcase to his young Thunder teammates.

"It is just symbolic. That is something that we are chasing. I don't think that's a crazy thing to say. I think at this point of the year, with the success we've had..Obviously we are playing to win the last game of the season, along with 16-18 other teams in the league. I thought it was something good to have something tangible to see. There is a reward at the end of it," Caruso said.

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