Thunder Clinch 2019 NBA Playoff Berth with Kings' Loss to Rockets

The Oklahoma City Thunder are headed to the NBA playoffs for the fourth straight season. The Thunder clinched a postseason berth Saturday after the Houston Rockets defeated the Sacramento Kings.

Oklahoma City's last two playoff trips each ended in the first round.

The Thunder's abrupt exit in 2017 wasn't entirely surprising. They finished sixth in the Western Conference, and their unsustainable reliance on Russell Westbrook got exposed in the biggest way.

According to NBA.com, they had a 4.7 net rating with Westbrook on the floor against the Houston Rockets. Their net rating fell to minus-7.1 when he was on the bench.

Things should've been different in 2018. Oklahoma City owned the fourth seed in the West and had Paul George, another All-Star, to partner with Westbrook and shoulder some of the scoring load. Instead, the Utah Jazz beat OKC in six games.

Because the team has three postseason wins in the past two seasons, some fans are likely to be a little guarded about Oklahoma City's chances this spring. The team is fading down the stretch as well, with a 6-9 record in March.

George attempted to downplay the significance of the Thunder's rough patch, per ESPN.com's Royce Young:

That skepticism would've looked misplaced a month or two ago but seems a little more warranted now. According to NBA.com, Oklahoma City sits 10th in net rating (3.1) and fourth in defensive rating (106.1).

George has taken his game to another level, though. He's averaging 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.1 steals. He's also shooting 38.7 percent from three-point range. George is essentially playing at an MVP-type level, and he'd be receiving more consideration if James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo hadn't pulled so far ahead of the field already.

Westbrook is helping to make that happen for George because he has been willing to take a slight step backward. He has a 31.3 percent usage rate, which is on pace to be his lowest since 2009-10, per Basketball Reference.

In general, the Thunder aren't operating on the whims of Westbrook like they were earlier in the post-Kevin Durant era. That will be a big distinction in the playoffs when opposing teams have more time to try to exploit Westbrook's weaknesses.

Comparing this year's OKC squad with last year's, the roster also underwent some addition by subtraction when it jettisoned Carmelo Anthony. Anthony shot 37.5 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from beyond the arc in the 2018 playoffs.

Anthony was clearly a liability and the Thunder are better without him.

The Golden State Warriors are the favorites to win the West crown, but they may not be untouchable in the postseason. The Rockets had Golden State on the ropes in the 2018 Western Conference Finals before the Warriors survived en route to a second straight NBA title.

Although the Thunder would be underdogs in a seven-game series against the Warriors, Oklahoma City is good enough that it could spring an upset if the stars align.