In case anyone was wondering whether the Thunder truly have the goods to win the NBA championship, their Game 1 performance against the Grizzlies should dispel any doubt, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes.

The Thunder tore a path of destruction with their dominating 131-80 victory, showing off their talent, depth, intensity, speed, ball movement and commitment to defend.

Among Western Conference playoff teams, the Thunder have the second-fewest combined games of playoff experience, Zillgitt notes. However, they have the talent to overcome that relative inexperience.

We have more on the Thunder:

• The 51-point victory was the fifth-largest in NBA postseason history, The Associated Press notes. “We played to our identity,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Nothing more, nothing less than that. We were who we were all year … and it’s going to be the key to our success, just staying true to who we are.”
• Alex Caruso, one of the Thunder’s key offseason acquisitions, is grateful for the opportunity to be on a championship-level team, he told Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated. “Yeah, I felt confident from Day 1, just (general manager) Sam (Presti) saying all the things people have said about me before,” he said. “Just how much he appreciates what I do for the team, winning the little things and how that can rub off on teammates. I know that is a gift of mine, and that is something I really try to push to influence the rest of the team because I know how much value it carries. For sure, them seeking me out and bringing me here goes a long way.” Caruso didn’t take a shot in Game 1, but contributed four assists and three rebounds in 12 minutes.
• Luguentz Dort isn’t one of the finalists for the Defensive Player of the Year award and Aaron Wiggins calls that “insane,” Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman tweets. “I do think there’s a lack of — I don’t wanna say attention to our team, but in terms of the way we played statistically defensively and the year we had, that doesn’t happen without elite defensive players,” Wiggins said. “Lu specifically is the main dude. He guards the best guards, the best wings, and even sometimes the forwards. I’ve watched him for years now not get credit for the work that he does.”
• Gilgeous-Alexander, one of the finalists for the league’s MVP award, told Lorenzi that he wants to be considered an all-time great but needs to lift his team in the postseason to prove it. “I want to be one of the best basketball players ever when it’s all said and done,” he said. “Like, competitively I want to be, and selfishly I want to be. Those things don’t come without winning. At the root of me, I just like to win. As a kid going to open gym, I wanted to win every game (and) stay on the floor the whole time. When you lose, you come off. Playing soccer growing up, I hated when I lost and had to wait until next week to play again.”