Oklahoma City Thunder is the NBA team of the moment
We are not going to exaggerate: the Thunder can be the next dynasty of the NBA. The moment of truth will come in April. The signs, however, are very encouraging.
We are not going to exaggerate: the Oklahoma City Thunder could be the next NBA dynasty. If there was a time that the moneyball of the Houston Rockets -with complicity of the Golden State Warriors– built the game system of various teams to what we see today, the successors of Seattle Supersonics They may be drawing the map and sailing down the river to El Dorado.
Let’s start with the present. After the undeniable victory against the Celtics on Sunday, they have accumulated a winning streak of 15 games in a row, they have a record of 30-5 and it is their best start as a franchise since 1993-94. That said, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander He averages 33.1 points per game and is emerging as one of the top candidates to win the MVP this season. Of course, there’s still a long way to go, but OKC electrifies the NBA heading into the second half post All-Star.
On Sunday, the team Mark Daigneault He reminded us of two important things: a) you win with defense, with today’s style mainly on the perimeter; b) games aren’t over until they’re over.
The second half was disastrous for the champions. They missed long-distance shots when the game called for something different (Do we need so many three-pointers when the difference was taken from the inside out in the first half?) and that was by virtue of the funnel that the Thunder proposed with Lu Dort, Cason Wallace and company. Let us remember that a specialist like Alex Caruso was out of action.
Size, even in the NBA of synergy and polyfunctionality, matters. OKC did its job by taking the game to the perimeter, not allowing Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet, and even Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum to hurt the most permeable place in their defense: under the backboard. The thing is that beyond Isiah Hartenstein, Oklahoma City lacks a relevant internal game. Chet Holmgren, a figure of the Thunder, has not played since November 10 due to a hip injury and the team, far from feeling it, has grown stronger in the sweet wait.
What team does something like this remind us of? To the Celtics with Porzingis perhaps? From a weakness arises an opportunity that at the end of the day becomes a strength.
OKC’s evolution is in performance in important moments. Youth is no longer a problem, but a blessing. The Thunder won the fourth quarter 29-12, largely due to their energy and intensity. This game, which anticipated a virtual NBA final between two teams that play modern, fluid and effective basketball, served to understand that depending on a single weapon, in this case the triple, is very risky. The Celtics’ shots are generally the product of good ball turnover. This was not the case in several parts of the visit to the Thunder (especially the second half), in which there were awkward, rushed and off-script shots. The numbers are the numbers: Boston had the worst shooting percentage since Mazzula has been the coach (9-46 on three-pointers, 19.8%).
Let’s think, then, about the future. Who is willing to sacrifice time and results in pursuit of a bright future? This is what is happening in the NBA. Before, the solution could come from tanking, but now it is with long (or very long) term projects. Remove veteran stars in the present, sow with draft picks and reap later. Swallow poison to gain paradise. What OKC did, the San Antonio Spurs are now experiencing with Victor Wembanyama or Ime Udoka’s brand new Houston Rockets. Suffer, suffer, and then emerge as a dominant franchise.
The truth is that Sam Presti It has something that others do not yet have: present, and above all future. He was the first to see this key to success. Let’s look at this: as Bobby Marks explains in his recent article on AM850.com, thanks to the six first-round picks acquired from other teams and two years of trades with the LA Clippers, the Thunder could choose in the lottery and also raise, the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Today, Oklahoma City has in its possession 13 first-round picks for subsequent years, 10 that can be traded, and 16 in the second round. A true madness built by an executive, Presti, who, at some point, was branded crazy.
Nothing guarantees that the Thunder will compete for the title this year. Sport is full of questions and uncertainty, especially if we consider the fragility of athletes’ existence in the injury department. What we can guarantee is that, if something out of tune doesn’t happen in the near future, they will be competitive for the rest of the decade. Who can guarantee something like that? Just someone who thought through this diagram the way Presti did, perhaps the best general manager in all of American sports today.
The Celtics are still the best team in the NBA. By depth, by quality, by experience. However, the Thunder are the team of the moment.
Oklahoma City had to lose a lot to be able to enjoy itself like it does now. Each defeat was, without knowing it, a step towards success. How far can the rebound go? Will it be with a championship?
The moment of truth will come in April. The signs, however, are very encouraging.
You see the rays. Thunder is heard.
It only remains to know the magnitude of the storm.
