Oklahoma City Thunder: 5 Reasons Thunder Are Favorites for NBA Title

The Oklahoma City Thunder are clearly one of the favorites to win the NBA title this season. However, the truth is that Kevin Durant and his lovable band of youths are the favorite to win it all.

This team has two bona fide superstars, is deep, has great defensive players and has smart management and coaching. What more could you want from a championship contender?

Here are the five reasons why you should put your money on them to still be standing when it's all said and done.

Two Superstars

In today's NBA, it's clear that one superstar just isn't enough.

Teams like the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers have made it clear that you need at least a duo of stars, if not a trio.

Unlike those other squads, the Thunder's two superstars are both still two or three years from even reaching their primes. They are the youngest star duo in the NBA, with the freshest legs and the most to prove.

They also have 23 games of playoff experience, so their youth is tempered with the experience needed to win.

Depth

The Oklahoma City Thunder go two-deep at every position. And that doesn't just mean that they have two guys at each position. They have two dependable guys at each position and three at a couple.

Another good thing about their depth is that each backup is a different player with different skills and strengths than the guy he backs up. It makes it difficult for opponents to stay consistent with their defensive strategy and effort.

Even with the season-long loss of backup point guard Eric Maynor, this team is still deep enough to win a championship now.

The Bench

I know what you're thinking, but this is not the same as depth. A team can be deep but still have a lackluster bench.

The Oklahoma City Thunder bench functions extremely well as a unit. They play as an entirely different team when they are on the floor, and some might even say that they play more efficiently than the Thunder starting five.

Led by leading Sixth Man of the Year candidate James Harden, this unit is the best in the NBA, because they perform well as a group without any of the starting five.

Other benches are good, but none are as good as this group when judged individual bench player versus individual bench player.

Smart Coaching and Management

The Thunder management and coaching are some of the most intelligent in the NBA. Despite being in a small market, they've built a team with a young core and two max-contract superstars.

From the ground up, they drafted well and smartly, and they built a team that could not only contend, but be a favorite for a championship.

The next big step will see how much of this young talented core they can keep together. Judging from the soundness of their past moves, I'd bet on them being able to do so.

The Leadership of Kevin Durant

The biggest factor this team has going for it is the leadership of Kevin Durant. Unlike guys like Kobe Bryant, Durant is a quiet leader. Unlike guys like Lebron James, he does what is necessary to win and focuses on the game.

He leads by example. He works harder than anyone else so that everyone else will work hard as well. He builds up teammates and will defend them against any kind of attacks.

He's also proving that, in the closing time of a game, he can rise to the occasion and bury his opponent.

Durant leads this team. Period. He will lead it to a championship.