Oklahoma City Thunder: 10 Reasons They're the Most Dangerous Team in the West
The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the NBA’s youngest teams, and with their core players rapidly improving, the future is bright for the franchise.
Forward Kevin Durant has become an elite player and once again leads the league in scoring after becoming the youngest scoring champion ever last season.
However, the biggest reason for the Thunder’s growth as a basketball team has been point guard Russell Westbrook’s breakout season in 2011.
Westbrook has joined the company of elite point guards, and his exceptional scoring and all-around play has been recognized by the Western Conference head coaches, who voted him to the 2011 All-Star team as a reserve.
Westbrook will join Durant in Los Angeles for the 2011 NBA All-Star Game, bringing more attention to a franchise which is rapidly becoming a difficult team to beat.
The Thunder’s improvement over the last few seasons, and their continued success after last year’s 50-win campaign, has made them the most dangerous team in the Western Conference.
Smaller aspects of the game that often go unnoticed are big factors in determining how dangerous a team really is, such as whether they have “swagger” or if they are easily intimidated.
Let’s look at 10 reasons why the Oklahoma City Thunder are the most dangerous team in the Western Conference.
10.) The Thunder Are Not Satisifed With Their Current Success
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Young teams often enjoy when they are lauded with pats on the back and the assurance they have a bright future ahead of themselves.
This allows for young players to lose the drive and determination that was the reason for their improvement.
The Thunder are as hungry as they ever have been, which is dangerous for the rest of the league.
Kevin Durant is one of the most competitive players in the league, even if it seems he is laid back on the court. Few players possess his love for the game of basketball, and his persistent drive to get better each day.
The thirst for more success is what separates this Thunder team from past teams who thought they were destined for multiple titles (i.e. the Orlando Magic of the mid-1990’s).
9.) As The Hunted, The Thunder Have Remained Hungry
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Young teams are often the hunters, the teams who are gunning for the NBA’s elite, trying to prove they belong with the best.
After improving tremendously during the 2009-10 season after a horrible 2008-09 season, the Oklahoma City Thunder have become an elite team, and now find themselves as the hunted.
The Thunder have not been as good defensively as last season, but with almost their entire roster still young and developing, the process of becoming a great defensive team will take time.
Oklahoma City is not flying under the radar anymore. They play on national television more frequently, and have several players who garner national attention.
The Thunder are getting each team’s best performance on a nightly basis, something that the Lakers and Celtics have been dealing with for years now.
When the Thunder get used to this situation that all elite teams face, they will be very difficult to beat.
8.) Durant, Westbrook and Green Are a Durable Trio
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When your star players do not miss time due to injuries, team chemistry develops quicker.
The Thunder are becoming a unified team, and are beginning to look like a team that is confident in each other’s abilities.
The fluidity of the offense is better this year than last year, and the new arrivals such as Daequan Cook and rookie center Cole Aldrich have fit in seamlessly.
With Thabo Sefalosha missing some time because of injury, Cook was called on to play more minutes than normal, and the Thunder did not lose any pace with him in the fold.
Scott Brooks has the depth to fight injuries, the knowledge that his team is comfortable playing with each other and that his stars are durable enough to remain injury free.
7.) Experience Vs. the NBA’s Elite Teams
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Experience was a major weakness for the Thunder last season, and although they took the eventual NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers to six games in the first round of the playoffs, they could not win a game at the Staples Center.
After a difficult but competitive series vs. the Lakers, the Thunder got a good taste of the intensity playoff basketball involves.
The Thunder will not be fazed by the bright lights, and after coping well with high expectations already this season, they are sure to be more confident going into this postseason.
For a young team, the Thunder are developing a swagger and attitude that makes opponents take them seriously.
Every great team has an “edge” about them, and this type of arrogance is a good thing for OKC.
The Thunder have beaten top NBA teams such as the Dallas Mavericks, Orlando Magic and the Boston Celtics. In fact, they won in Boston without Kevin Durant, who was injured.
6.) Jeff Green Is Giving the Thunder a Reliable Third Option
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Jeff Green is often the player who opposing coaches will make beat them.
While much of the defensive attention is paid to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green receives a lot of open looks from the field.
Green is a very versatile player, and while he has not developed as quickly as Westbrook and Durant, he is a dependable player for head coach Scott Brooks.
Green is averaging over 15 points and just under six rebounds per game.
His ability to stretch the floor with his three-point range opens driving lanes for Durant and Westbrook, helping the Thunder offense flow nicely.
Jeff Green is key to the Thunder success, and is the X factor heading towards the playoffs.
5.) Oklahoma City Is the Deepest Team in the Western Conference
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Having a great bench is a common denominator among championship teams, and the Oklahoma City Thunder have built a very solid bench.
With guards such as Eric Maynor, James Harden, Daequan Cook and Morris Peterson, the Thunder have a solid mix of young and veteran backcourt role players.
Harden, Peterson and Cook are all quality three point specialists, while Maynor is Westbrook’s backup at point guard.
The depth at forward and center is also very important to the success of the Thunder. Serge Ibaka is one of the most exciting young centers in basketball.
His athleticism and shot blocking has Thunder fans very hopeful about his future. Nick Collison provides a veteran presence and is the second-oldest player on the team at age 30.
The Thunder can go to their bench at get quality production while their starters are resting or having bad nights, allowing them to conserve Durant and Westbrook’s minutes as the season progresses.
4.) Few Teams Have As Many Scoring Options As The Thunder
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Only the Miami Heat have a higher scoring trio than the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Miami’s trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are averaging about 70 points per game, with OKC’s Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green averaging about 66 points per game as the second-highest scoring trio.
Not many teams can have their two superstars play mediocre and still have a chance to win.
OKC has three players who can score 20 every night, and with the plethora of shooters available on the bench, no lead is too large for the Thunder to overcome.
Durant, Westbrook and Green all have the necessary offensive abilities. Each can shoot from the outside, finish at the rim and shoot a high percentage at the free throw line.
3.) The Thunder Have One of the Best Home Court Advantages in the NBA
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Oklahoma City Thunder home games at the Ford Center have a college basketball type of atmosphere.
The crowd does not sit down until the Thunder score, and their fans are among the loudest in the NBA.
The city’s passion for basketball was the reason they were rewarded with the Thunder franchise after the team moved from Seattle, where they were named the SuperSonics.
Before having the Thunder, Oklahoma City was the home of the New Orleans Hornets for a while during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
The Ford Center is one of the toughest places to play in the NBA, and as the fourth seed currently, the Thunder will have at least one round of home court advantage.
2.) Kevin Durant Is Helping the Thunder by Scoring Less
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The 2009-10 season was Kevin Durant’s coming out party. Sure he was a good player before last season, but last year was his proclamation to the NBA that he is an elite player, and a perennial MVP candidate.
Durant became the youngest scoring champion in NBA history in 2010, narrowly defeating runner-up LeBron James.
Since Durant has proven he can score against any team, on any night, coaches have made stopping him their first priority when crafting a defensive game plan for the Thunder.
He is now seeing more attention paid to him on the offensive end, as teams are looking to shut him down, forcing OKC’s lesser offensive talent beat them.
Durant took some time to adjust to this heightened defensive pressure, but he used the situation to allow point guard Russell Westbrook to become more involved.
Durant is becoming an all-around talent, and looking for his teammate’s offense as much as his own will be important to the success of the Thunder.
1.) Russell Westbrook Is a Matchup Nightmare for Every Team
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Russell Westbrook has become one of the best point guards in the NBA, and his breakout 2011 is exactly what OKC needed to become a legitimate title contender.
Westbrook’s spectacular season was rewarded with a reserve spot on the Western Conference roster for the 2011 All-Star game in Los Angeles on February 20.
Taking advantage of his great speed, Westbrook has become a nightmare for opposing defenses on the fast break, and with his excellent leaping ability, he can dunk on any player.
He creates problems for defenses not only with his quickness, but his scoring as well. He still needs to work on his range, and the development of a consistent three-point shot would make him almost unguardable.
Westbrook is averaging 8.6 assists per game, while being responsible for a lot of OKC’s scoring needs. He is quickly becoming the rare point guard who can balance scoring and playmaking with ease, something Chris Paul and Deron Williams have been doing for years.
