Column: There's no D in OKC

When the Oklahoma City Thunder took the eventual NBA champions to the brink of a game seven in the first round last season, many thought they had taken the next step to contender status.

The team consisted of the youngest roster in the NBA with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green, Serge Ibaka and James Harden all under the age of 25. As the Thunder's youth continue to develop, Western Conference rivals Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki have become older and more injury prone.

Yet, in a year where the Thunder have increased its offense to more than 100 points a game, they have taken a step backward preventing them from reaching "elite" status in the league. They have stopped playing defense.

Last season the Thunder ranked eleventh in the league in points allowed. The Thunder defense held the Lakers 9 points under its season average during five of the six playoff games. This season the Thunder are giving up over 102 points a game compared to last year's team which gave up 98 points a game.

Yes, the Thunder have been able to outscore most opponents and the team is in position to have home court in the first round of the playoffs. But the issue will be when the playoffs start and the Thunder begin to play strong defensive teams.

The lack of defense is an obvious problem when the Thunder play the top four teams in the Western Conference. The Thunder is 2-6 against the Lakers, Spurs, Mavericks and Jazz this season (25-8 against the rest of the league) and one of those victories was against the Mavericks when star forward Dirk Nowitzki sat out with an injury.

It's no surprise that those teams are also four of the best in the NBA in terms of defense. Three of Kevin Durant's five lowest scoring games this season came against those teams. When Durant is being kept in check, the Thunder has no chance against the Lakers and Spurs in the playoffs.

So, what can the Thunder do to play better defense? First, the team should not expect to fully reach the level of defense they played last season. The fast paced offense the Thunder has played this season allows opponents to get occasional quick baskets in transition.

What the Thunder needs to work on is improving its help defense underneath and its rotations. As I watched them play the Lakers Monday night, they did a great job of limiting Kobe Bryant to 21 points. The problem was when the Lakers would use the pick and roll with Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. The Thunder would fail to rotate properly and Serge Ibaka is not experienced enough to handle an All-Star such as Gasol cutting to the basket off a screen.

Even when the Thunder rotated properly underneath, they would always be late to rotate to the perimeter. Derek Fisher and Steve Blake killed the Thunder's momentum throughout the game Monday with three pointers on plays such as that.

"Defense wins championships" is more than just a cliché. It's the truth. Until the Thunder can figure out how to fix its defense, the team can plan on some long nights during the playoffs in San Antonio and Los Angeles.