7 Reasons Oklahoma City Thunder Are a Lock for 2015 NBA Playoffs
It’s been a bumpy ride, but things are finally coming together for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
All of the injuries, the growing saga of Reggie Jackson’s free agency and two major in-season trades weren’t enough to overwhelm them. Now, they look like a lock to make the playoffs and become the eighth seed from Hell.
The main reasons for their resilience are named Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. Both megastars have dealt with multiple injuries this season, but they’ve been characteristically brilliant whenever they are on the hardwood.
Unlike years past, however, OKC’s success has gone beyond its leading men. General manager Sam Presti made a brilliant move at the trade deadline, and the result is a Thunder roster that is deeper than ever before. This depth has allowed the team to tread water while Durant, Westbrook and Steven Adams have missed time.
Furthermore, while Presti’s dealings created a stacked Thunder team ready to hit its stride in the home stretch, the same cannot be said for its opponents challenging for the eighth seed. The Phoenix Suns traded away talent and depth, while the New Orleans Pelicans have been hit with their own injury bug.
It hasn’t been easy by any stretch of the imagination, but the Thunder have survived a brutal season and are now emerging as a lock for the postseason—and a matchup nobody wants to face.
This slideshow discusses seven of the most prominent reasons why Oklahoma City will be in the playoffs.
A Rested Kevin Durant
1 of 7
As crazy as it sounds, Kevin Durant has flown under the radar.
After being named the league's Most Valuable Player last year, he hasn’t even been the most valuable player of his own team this season. Thanks to injuries, he has only played in 27 games, and OKC fans are anxiously awaiting good news on his latest medical procedure.
Obviously, if Durant is out for a significant length of time, OKC’s postseason chances take a slight hit, but the latest report from Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman indicates he is making progress in his recovery.
Assuming Durant returns in the next few weeks, he’ll be fresher than ever before at this stage of the season, which is a huge win for the Thunder. A tired Durant is still one of the best players in the league, but a well-rested Durant will help OKC breeze through its remaining schedule.
The rest will yield its biggest dividends in the postseason, when he has looked fatigued in the last two years.
With all the interruptions, Durant has yet to find his rhythm but he’s still been a devastatingly efficient scorer (51% FG, 40% 3P, 85% FT). The injuries are an unfortunate part of the game, but they could end up paying off in a big way for Durant and the Thunder as they inch toward the end of the season.
Grounded Pelicans
2 of 7
The New Orleans Pelicans are not a particularly deep team to begin with, but they’ve been dealing with injuries to key players during the past few weeks. They've played well despite missing some of their best performers, but every game is crucial if they want to make up ground in the playoff race.
According to Jim Eichenhofer of NBA.com, Anthony Davis is set to return soon, which is a huge boost for the Pelicans. Unfortunately, New Orleans will still be without two other main pieces.
Starting point guard Jrue Holiday is scheduled to return no earlier than March 11, per initial reports from John Reid of NOLA.com. The news is even worse for Ryan Anderson, who could be out until March 22, according to the team's official website.
The Pelicans have less experience playing together and are a less talented team than the Thunder. These injuries make that disparity even wider and have OKC looking like the safer bet to emerge from the pack.
Deep and Diverse Frontcourt
3 of 7
The Thunder frontcourt used to be a weakness. It might not have been a glaring liability, but it was rarely something the team could view as an advantage.
That’s no longer the case.
It starts with Serge Ibaka. He’s the league’s preeminent two-way stretch big, and we saw how important he is for the defense in last year’s playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs. His new three-point shot makes him even more effective on the offensive end, too.
The real difference, however, is the newfound depth on the roster. Nick Collison has always been the savvy vet who does the dirty work like taking charges and diving for loose balls, but he used to fill that role as the first big off the bench.
Now, OKC has a stable of big men to choose from. Steven Adams is big, physical and a strong defender at the rim. The newly acquired Enes Kanter is also a tough player, but he does his damage on the offensive end, relying on a polished low-post game and a jumper that can stretch beyond the arc.
Then there’s the fan-favorite: Mitch McGary. He plays like a kid who's had three bowls of ice cream for dinner. The rookie is constantly moving, bouncing off opponents and bowling over defenders. He gobbles up rebounds and scores points off his energy alone, but he’s also a skilled passer and finisher around the rim.
Head coach Scott Brooks has plenty of big men at his disposal, so he can make his choices depending on matchup and situation. The Thunder are well-equipped to face any frontcourt in the league—even the imposing one in Memphis—and can win the ugly games by dominating the boards and protecting the rim.
Suns Hitting the Reset Button
4 of 7
The Phoenix Suns were all over the place at the trade deadline, making multiple moves and hitting the reset button on their rebuild. They didn’t hit the same “Depressing Total Reset” button used by the Philadelphia 76ers, but they acknowledged the fact that their three-headed point-guard monster wasn’t working and freed up cap room and playing time for their younger players.
This was the right thing to do for the organization’s long-term vision. Holding on to Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas would have kept the Suns in NBA purgatory: good but not great.
Alex Len, Archie Goodwin and T.J. Warren have more opportunities to grow after the trades, and that’s the best thing for the future of the franchise.
For the here and now, however, the roster moves hurt the Suns’ chances of making the playoffs because Dragic, Thomas and even Miles Plumlee had skill sets that would have helped their postseason push. The team still has talent, but Eric Bledsoe and Markieff Morris will have to play out of their minds to get the roster in the playoffs.
Improved Outside Shooting
5 of 7
There are few complaints to be made about Presti’s tenure as GM. The James Harden trade is often cited as a catastrophic blunder, but Presti’s biggest failure in that regard was not predicting the rising salary cap. His next error in constructing this team was the lack of shooting to surround Durant and Westbrook.
He can’t reverse the Harden trade, but he addressed the lack of shooting that would have severely hamstrung the team in the playoffs. Before the trade deadline, OKC didn’t have any reliable perimeter shooting outside of Durant, Ibaka and Anthony Morrow.
In one trade, Presti rectified this shortcoming by bringing in D.J. Augustin, Kyle Singler and Steve Novak. All three have shot higher than 37 percent from downtown for their careers, and they can all help OKC’s spacing on offense. Even Kanter has shown the makings of a three-point stroke, connecting on 31 percent of his treys this season.
Augustin and Singler in particular are major upgrades over their predecessors. Reggie Jackson was shooting a woeful 27.8 percent from three, and Perry Jones was even worse at 24.5 percent.
OKC now has a number of reliable shooters in the rotation, and defenses can no longer load up on Durant and Westbrook without consequence. If the help comes, the team finally has multiple guys who can make them pay.
This takes the offense to new heights and will be a huge help in locking up a playoff spot—and making noise when the Thunder get there.
Continuity and Chemistry
6 of 7
The previous points have all covered tangible topics, but sports talk always involves discussion of the intangibles. OKC has the advantage in this respect, as well.
For starters, the team's core has played together for a long time. Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka and Coach Brooks have been together for five years, and they’re very familiar with one another.
Every game down the stretch will be crucial in the fight for the eighth seed, and the Thunder core knows what it’s like to be in a close NBA game with everything on the line. The same can’t be said for Eric Bledsoe, Anthony Davis, head coach Jeff Hornacek and head coach Monty Williams.
Another factor working in OKC’s favor is the change in atmosphere following the trade deadline. This team seems significantly happier, and FOX Sports’ Andrew Gilman elaborated on that improved chemistry after a recent win versus the Indiana Pacers:
"Mitch McGary hugs anything that walks. He even gave Coach Scott Brooks a playful slap on the chest. Anthony Morrow celebrates 3-pointers like he won the lottery and Russell Westbrook's game is RedBull with a jumper.
‘So much fun,’ new acquisition Enes Kanter said. ‘I'm actually liking basketball. I've never felt like this before. It's how close we are. Everybody tries to help each other. I've never seen it before. I've played for a lot of teams and never seen it before.’
It's not just the winning. It's the attitude. The new faces and the immediate chemistry. There's no pouting and there's seemingly no problems. The bad vibe that hung over the team and the locker room for much of the first half of the season has lifted.
"
As Gilman suggests, something was definitely off earlier in the season. The Thunder didn’t look like they were having fun, and it was hurting their on-court performance. After the trade, the chemistry is noticeably better, and that can only help OKC in its quest for a deep playoff run.
Russell Westbrook
7 of 7
Kevin Durant has played in less than half of OKC’s games, but his absence has been offset by the ridiculously good play of Russell Westbrook. For starters, the man is not human. He came back earlier than expected from his fractured hand and proceeded to dunk basketballs with so much ferocity you feared for his safety.
His latest exploit to challenge the boundaries of medicine was to suffer a fracture that literally dented his face, undergo surgery and return only four days later.
As superhuman as Westbrook may be in terms of recovery time (and fearlessness), his true superpowers are reserved for the court. He just missed out on averaging a triple-double for the month of February, and he’s been unquestionably dominant all season.
Even if Durant’s recovery takes longer than expected, Westbrook will be able to keep his team afloat.
His competitiveness is unmatched (at least with Kobe Bryant on the sidelines), and he’s as talented as any player in the league. Westbrook’s shooting numbers and turnovers might look ugly at times, but his decision-making is improved, and he’s playing with more maturity and understanding of what his team needs.
If he continues to perform at such a high level, it’s stupid to bet against him leading this team to the postseason.
Note: All records and statistics are accurate as of March 3 and are courtesy of Basketball-Reference unless otherwise noted.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
