Oklahoma City Thunder Could Wind Up as NBA's Most Dangerous No. 8 Playoff Seed
Finally healthy, the Oklahoma City Thunder could end being one of the toughest No. 8 seeds in recent memory.
With Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant back in the fold, the Thunder are finally starting to gain momentum. The team has won three straight games and five of its last six. With injuries no longer an obstacle, the next step for Oklahoma City is to march toward a playoff spot.
At 9-13, OKC is just three games behind the Phoenix Suns for the eighth seed in the West. The magic number going forward is 50 wins. In the last few years, that has been the standard to reach the postseason. That means the club will have to go a ridiculous 41-19 in the final 60 games of the season.
If that happens, the conference's other contenders might want to find ways to avoid the Thunder. What top team in the West would want to lead off the postseason against Durant and Westbrook? We could be looking at one of the most dangerous underdogs the league has ever seen. ESPN.com's Royce Young had this quote from Jared Dudley:
Since the NBA moved its playoff format to 16 teams in 1984, there have been a number of formidable eighth seeds. Last season's Dallas Mavericks were the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs' toughest postseason opponent, stretching the series to seven games.
Teams such as the 1993-94 Denver Nuggets (over the Seattle Supersonics), 2006-07 Golden State Warriors (over the Mavs), 2010-11 Memphis Grizzlies (over the Spurs) and 2011-12 Philadelphia 76ers (over the Chicago Bulls) have pulled first-round upsets over top seeds.
The 1998-99 New York Knicks are the current standard bearer in terms of making a historic run as an eighth seed. Led by a veteran core of Allan Houston, Latrell Sprewell and a hobbled Patrick Ewing, the Jeff Van Gundy-coached Knicks made it all the way to the NBA Finals.
The Cinderella story starts with New York putting the boots to Alonzo Mourning and the rival Miami Heat in Round 1. From there, they broke the brooms out and swept the Atlanta Hawks. Next, the guys from the Garden sent the Indiana Pacers packing.
The Knicks managed to do this with Ewing playing through an Achilles injury that would eventually keep him out of the championship series against San Antonio. Team defense was also a big part of New York's success. The team held opponents to 85.4 points per game (fourth-best) and had a defensive rating of 97.5 (also fourth-best), per Basketball-Reference. That made up for a slow, plodding offense that was 24th in PACE (86.9).
As impressive as that Knicks run was, the Thunder have the potential to top it if they can sneak into the playoffs this season.
Star Power
The Thunder have more talent than any of those aforementioned eight seeds. Westbrook is the league's most explosive point guard. Durant is the reigning league MVP. Serge Ibaka is one of the best all-around big men in the game. All three of those guys are 26 years old or younger.
They are still in the prime of their careers. What's even scarier is we have yet to see KD at his best so far this season. As he eases his way back from the first major injury of his career, the NBA's silent assassin has been fighting off rust and picking his spots, as The Oklahoman's Berry Tramel pointed out following the team's win over the Milwaukee Bucks:
"Durant, in his fourth game back from a fractured foot, was a little rusty. In the final 80 seconds of the first quarter, Durant threw more interceptions than Jay Cutler. Going into the fourth quarter, Kendrick Perkins had as many shots (nine) as did Durant. Durant finished with four turnovers, all of them on bad passes.
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As for Westbrook, he's already back to playing on an All-Star level. His comeback tour has been littered with highlight-reel dunks such as this putback jam over O.J. Mayo:
Or when he threw the hammer down on the Detroit Pistons.
After watching Durant take home the league's top individual honor last year, Westbrook is making his own case for MVP with an impressive all-around stat line: 24.5 points, 6.8 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 48.2 percent from the field and 33.3 from three.
Next, there's Ibaka, who led the league in total blocks for four straight years coming into this season. The 25-year-old has broadened his offensive horizons, attempting a career-high 3.6 attempts from downtown. He's converted 36.7 percent of his treys this season.
The Republic of the Congo native is still putting in work on the boards (7.2 rebounds) and on the defensive end (2.2 blocks, fourth in the NBA) as well.
That's an impressive trio for any playoff team, especially an eighth seed.
Youth and Depth
The lone bright side to the Thunder's early string of injuries was that it allowed previously unknown players to grow into solid contributors. The biggest breakout has come from guard Reggie Jackson.
Relegated to a sixth-man role for most of his career, Jackson used Durant and Westbrook's absence to raise his profile. He's posted career highs in scoring (17.7 points) and assists (6.4) this season. Now, he feels he's on par with his All-Star teammate, per HoopsHype.com's Marc Narducci.
"We both want to prove we are the best point guard each day we step on the court. Both believe in ourselves a tremendous amount. I am sure he (Westbrook) thinks he is the best and I do the same."
Beyond Jackson, OKC has received notable contributions from young players such as Jeremy Lamb, Steven Adams and Perry Jones. Jones, an afterthought for the first two years of his career, filled in admirably for KD before suffering a knee contusion.
The 21-year-old Adams is in his first year as the team's starting center, and he is only scratching the surface on his immense potential. He's a tough, physical defender who doesn't get bullied in the paint. Offensively, there's work to be done, but he's an improvement over last year's starter, Kendrick Perkins.
After an up-and-down start, Lamb is playing the best ball of his career. He's been a double-digit scorer in five of his last seven games.
"The thing about Jeremy I always say, once he gets his confidence going, it’s hard to shut off,” Kendrick Perkins said, per Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. “It’s going right now."
With Lamb stepping up, the Thunder's backcourt is now five players deep. Jackson has emerged as a dangerous weapon that provide a spark either as a starter or coming off the bench. Anthony Morrow is one of the best outside shooters in the league.
Up front, Perkins provides a veteran presence and some tough defense inside. Rookie Mitch McGary could be a contributor at some point this season as well. When you add it all together, this is one of the deepest second units in basketball.
Even better, the group is still young and has room to grow. Perkins and Nick Collison are the only players on the Thunder roster above 29 years old. With key injuries derailing the last two postseasons, that kind of youth and depth will come in handy.
The Oklahoma City Thunder's rough start was a blessing in disguise. With a playoff spot no longer a formality, these next five months will test this team's mettle. In the long run, overcoming this adversity will make them even stronger.
That's a scary thought for whoever draws them in the postseason. The Thunder are unlike any lower seed we've seen before. They have the talent and depth to be a legitimate championship contender.
When's the last time you could say that about a team at the bottom of the playoff tree?
Note: All stats are current as of Dec. 11 and are courtesy of ESPN.com, unless otherwise noted.
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