Thunder playing ahead of the curve bodes well for future

TAHLEQUAH — Over the past couple of seasons, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been climbing up the ranks in the Western Conference.

The core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgreen, and Josh Giddy has brought the Thunder to national relevancy for the first time in a while. Coming into the season, many were expecting a better Thunder team, but few were ready for the Thunder to leave the regular season No. 1 seed in the West.

On paper, the Thunder don’t look like the mightiest team in the division, or have the best star player or the most experienced team, but the Thunder’s formula has been working all season. While SGA might be the star of the game – and often takes over, averaging over 25 points a game – the rest of the Thunder are vital to this season’s success. Players like Lu Dort, Gordon Hayward and Jaylyn Williams have played their roles to perfection this season, getting players open, playing strong defense and taking their shots when needed.

Getting to the top of the Western Conference wasn’t easy for OKC. On the other side of the NBA, the Celtics held a 14-game lead on the No. 1 seed going into the final game of the season. On the other hand, the Thunder had to win Sunday to secure their spot as the No. 1 seed. Now as the top dog in the West, the Thunder will have to wait for the bottom seeds to battle it out in the play-in tournament to figure out their first-round match-up and what day they start the playoffs.

The Thunder’s winning game on Sunday, April 14 against the Mavericks was for first place, and they clinched the No. 1 over the Timberwolves and Nuggets.

Even though OKC was playing for first place against another playoff team, the result was never in doubt. The Thunder jumped out to a big win and were able to rest their major starters in the second half like SGA, Holmgreen and Giddy ahead of the playoffs. Despite only appearing in two quarters, SGA and Holmgreen each posted over 10 points en route to a massive win over the starter-less Mavericks.

Going into the playoff, this Thunder will be tested like they haven’t been before. While they made the expanded playoffs in 2020, this is the first real playoff challenge these players have experienced during their young careers. With four teams possible to face the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs, whoever they draw will give a look into how long OKC will last in the playoffs. The Thunder have the chance to play the Pelicans, Lakers, Kings, or Warriors, depending on how the play-in bracket works out.

Out of that group of four, there are definitely two teams Thunder fans should look to avoid in the first round: the Lakers and the Warriors.

While those teams are not at the top of the division this season, both teams are stacked with veteran talent that have been to the playoffs. On the other hand, facing the Pelicans or the Kings would be ideal for the first test of the playoffs, as they are less battle-tested during the grind for the NBA Finals.

Now, I’m not saying the Thunder couldn’t take down the Warriors or Lakers in a first-round series, but those would be the two best teams to upset the top-ranked Thunder. The Lakers especially seem to be a challenge to the Thunder, who lost the season series 1-3. Even though the Thunder took down LA in their most recent matchup, they were only within 8 points once in their first three matchups.

Time will tell if the Thunder are a flash in the pan or if they will make a difference as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. There will be the detractors that say the Thunder are the No. 1 seed too early, this season was proof of concept for the OKC front office.

With a player likely to finish in the top three in Most Valuable Player Voting in SGA, a pair of young talents in Holmgreen and Giddy and a good role of supporting characters the Thunder have officially arrived as a top NBA contender.

Jake Sermersheim writes for the Tahlequah Daily Press.