The defending NBA champions aren’t thinking of themselves in that way.

The 80th season of the NBA starts Tuesday night in Oklahoma City, where the Thunder — the “defending” champion, even though they don’t seem to like the term — will get their rings and enjoy one final moment of celebrating last season’s seven-game triumph over the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals.

“Everybody is saying ‘defending,'” guard Jalen Williams said, “but we’re trying to be on the offensive as well.”

Translation: One title isn’t enough for the Thunder. They want more.

They are fully aware that this is the NBA’s parity era — seven different franchises have won titles in the last seven years, a run unprecedented in league history. Commissioner Adam Silver has seen nine different franchises win in his 12 seasons

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