Oklahoma City Thunder Still Working to Prove Place in the 2015 NBA Playoff Race
The Oklahoma City Thunder are learning that the road back to the postseason is tougher than they anticipated. Despite finally playing at full strength and pulling off some respectable wins, the team is still three games behind the Phoenix Suns for the Western Conference's eighth seed.
The return of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook has played a huge role in the club's recent success, as expected. OKC was 4-12 before Westbrook's triumphant return against the New York Knicks on Nov. 28, and Durant would make his debut against the New Orleans Pelicans on Dec. 2.
While it took some time for the reigning MVP to shake off the rust, he's beginning to regain his elite form. He's unofficially third in the NBA in scoring, averaging 25.6 points per game. Westbrook (24.9 PPG) is right behind him on the leaderboard.
The team is also getting some notable contributions from its role players. Serge Ibaka has shown major improvement in his outside shot, converting a career-high 40.2 percent (good for 21st in the NBA) from three. The Congo native remains one of the league's best shot-blockers, ranking third with 2.2 rejections per contest.
Center Steven Adams (7.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.1 blocks) and defensive specialist Andre Roberson (defended field-goal percentage of .375, per NBA.com) are both making strides in their second seasons. Most importantly, the Thunder have done an excellent job of making new addition Dion Waiters feel welcomed after being acquired just a couple of weeks ago.
"I'm happy, I'm comfortable already two weeks in and I feel like I've grown," Waiters said Saturday, per ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin. "I've grown in a short period of time as a player and off the court."
For most of the season's first half, the Thunder didn't appear to have luck on their side. Players were getting hurt nearly every week, and this looked like a lost season. Now, things are starting to break their way, but they must continue to play well and get help from the teams ahead of them in the standings in order to secure their sixth straight playoff berth.
Impressive Stretch
Oklahoma City's turnaround seems to have started following a 112-101 loss to the Houston Rockets on Jan. 15 that wasn't as close as the score suggests. The Thunder were down 40-18 after the first frame before cutting the deficit to nine at the half. Houston never came close to trailing after that opening quarter.
"We struggled getting back," head coach Scott Brooks told reporters afterward. "We struggled covering the 3-point line. They were getting everything they wanted in the first quarter ... we can't give up a 40-point quarter."
After a loss like that, you would expect more of the same the next night against the Golden State Warriors, the team with the best record in basketball, right?
Wrong.
The Thunder bounced back with a 127-115 upset over the W's at The 'Peake. Durant dropped 35 points and grabbed nine boards, but Westbrook stole the show with a performance for the ages (17 points, 15 rebounds, 17 assists).
From there, it was off to the races.
The victory over Golden State was the start of a four-game winning streak that saw the team cross the .500 mark for the first time all year. That stretch included impressive road wins over playoff teams such as the Miami Heat and Washington Wizards.
The red-hot Atlanta Hawks brought that run to a halt on Jan. 23, as the Eastern Conference leaders notched their 15th straight win and 29th in the last 31 games. OKC took another L two days later against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite jumping out to a six-point lead after the first quarter, Oklahoma City let LeBron James and Co. back in by struggling to hit open shots and leaving shooters open on the perimeter.
The Cavs shot 43.9 percent from the field, including 44.4 percent from behind the arc. The Thunder, meanwhile, converted just 39.4 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from downtown.
The good news for OKC is that the upcoming slate gets a little easier for them while getting a bit tougher for the two other teams fighting for the final playoff spot in the West. The chart below shows what the next five games have in store for the Thunder, Suns and Pelicans.
| Team | Games Behind | First Game | Second Game | Third Game | Fourth Game | Fifth Game |
| Phoenix Suns (26-20) | 0 | Jan. 28 vs. Washington Wizards (30-15) | Jan. 30 vs Chicago Bulls (29-17) | Jan. 31 at Golden State Warriors (36-6) | Feb. 2 vs. Memphis Grizzlies (31-12) | Feb. 5 at Portland Trail Blazers (32-13) |
| New Orleans Pelicans (23-21) | 2 | Jan. 26 vs. Philadelphia 76ers (8-36) | Jan. 28 vs. Denver Nuggets (18-26) | Jan. 30 vs. Los Angeles Clippers (30-14) | Feb. 2 vs.Atlanta Hawks (37-8) | Feb. 4 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (22-22) |
| Oklahoma City Thunder (22-22) | 3 | Jan. 26 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (7-36) | Jan 28 at New York Knicks (8-37) | Jan. 31 at Memphis Grizzlies (31-12) | Feb. 2 vs. Orlando Magic (15-32) | Feb. 4 at New Orleans Pelicans (23-21) |
The road ahead is especially tough for Phoenix, who will square off against five straight playoff teams in the span of nine days. New Orleans draws two postseason contenders before a critical showdown with the Thunder. For Oklahoma City, this is a huge opportunity to gain some ground and build momentum with the Feb. 13 All-Star break approaching.
Durant said, per Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman:
"We've been here before. It's nothing new to us. We've been in these types of battles before. This year is a little different because everybody’s playing catch-up. And I guess everybody from the outside looking in is saying all these games are important. But we've been in these types of games before. We can play any way.
"
Still Work to Be Done
Beyond the obvious need to collect as many wins as they can, the Thunder have a few areas that they need to shore up going forward.
First, Brooks has to be cautious about not wearing out his stars before the postseason even starts. According to Basketball-Reference.com, Westbrook leads the league with a usage rate of 37.8 percent. Durant isn't far behind at 30.3 percent. KD has also logged 165 minutes in his last four games combined. While it has yet to take a toll on his surgically repaired foot, the increased workload hasn't helped his outside shot (11-of-38 from three in his last six games).
It would be in the team's best interest to find a suitable backup that would allow Durant to stay fresh for when the team needs him most. At this point, that guy isn't Perry Jones, who is a shell of the player he was at the beginning of the year.
Someone like the Denver Nuggets' Wilson Chandler or Orlando Magic's Moe Harkless would be an intriguing target. Given the Thunder's trade chips (Reggie Jackson and Jeremy Lamb, to name two), Harkless may be the more realistic target of the two.
The Thunder also need some more outside shooting. They are 27th in the NBA in three-point percentage, converting just 32.2 percent of their attempts from deep. Ibaka (40.2 percent), Durant (39.3) and Anthony Morrow (37.3) have done their part, but adding another marksman would be beneficial.
The team could also use another big man that can get buckets in the paint. With Ibaka drifting out to the perimeter more often these days, Adams is the only real interior scoring threat the Thunder have. According to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, they flirted with the idea of acquiring Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez, but those talks fell apart.
Lastly, improvement on defense is critical. If Oklahoma City is going to stick with offensive juggernauts like Golden State and Houston for a seven-game series, it'll have to do a better job of applying pressure. Brooks' boys could also go back to a zone defensive scheme, which worked well early in the season when the team was short-handed.
Regardless, the team must be as aggressive at getting stops as putting up points if it's to stand a chance in the playoffs.
That push begins with winnable games against the Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks, as Daily Thunder's Royce Young details:
"What’s important, is the next two games. Beating the Wolves and Knicks are absolute must-wins. Those are the games you can lose your mind over. But in the final road game of a five-game tour in Cleveland against a Cavs team that’s figuring things out? Like Durant said, the Thunder played a good game.
"
The Thunder are starting to look more like a team Western Conference contenders should be afraid of, but they're still not in the clear. Durant and Westbrook are back to elite form. The bench, once a problem area, will continue to be bolstered by the arrival of Waiters and the presence of Jackson.
The Thunder proved they can hang with the big boys by pulling a four-game win streak against some of the NBA's best. Now, after losing two straight, they must pick themselves up off the mat and use the favorable schedule ahead to finish the first half strong.
As with any contender, there's some fine-tuning left to be done, but the Thunder's return from an early-season grave has been nothing short of impressive.
Note: All stats current through games played on Sunday, Jan. 25, and are courtesy of NBA.com, unless otherwise noted.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
