It wasn’t long ago that it really did appear as though the Oklahoma City Thunder were destined to miss the playoffs. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook had been in and out of the lineup with injuries, the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans were healthy and appeared to have the talent to contend, and there were more questions than answers about the state of the franchise in Oklahoma City.
However, Durant and Westbrook – in particular – have risen to the occasion and done enough to help the Thunder navigate their way back in to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Suns and Pelicans each failed to capitalize on the opportunity to put Oklahoma City away when they had the chance and in light of a couple of key injuries and recent trades, it appears as though the Thunder’s road to the playoffs has just gotten a lot easier.
Rolling Thunder
Oklahoma City has extended its lead ahead of New Orleans and Phoenix for the eighth and final postseason position and there isn’t much reason to expect them to let up as they take aim at the teams in front of them including the Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio Spurs. Durant just had a procedure on his injured ankle to help relieve some of the pain he was experiencing but considering the way that Westbrook has played of late the timing of the procedure could not be better. Westbrook has done it all for the Thunder while Serge Ibaka has stepped up along with recent additions Enes Kanter and Dion Waiters. Westbrook leads the NBA with five games in which he posted at least 30 points and 10 assists and Oklahoma City will only keep getting better as a team as long as he continues to perform at that level.
Not only have the Thunder found their stroke, they’ve also built a roster that is as complete as it gets. With Kanter stepping in at center, they have four starters that average double-figures. They found a backup point guard at the trade deadline (D.J. Augustin), addressed their problem at center (Kanter) and have found a productive shooting guard (Waiters) who can either start or give them points off the bench. This team has virtually no glaring holes and is gaining steam as we head down the home stretch.
Injury To The Eyebrow
While the Thunder have climbed the standings, the Pelicans have headed in the opposite direction thanks in big part to the health problems that have decimated their lineup. Anthony Davis has dominated when healthy and should be in the conversation for MVP. The trouble is that he’s struggled to stay healthy all year and he injured his right shoulder again. The injuries weren’t done there as Ryan Anderson has an MCL sprain that’s going to cost him multiple weeks and Jrue Holiday is out for a couple of weeks as well. It would have been difficult enough for New Orleans to somehow turn things around and chase Oklahoma City but with the injury to Davis and everyone else, their odds are even slimmer.
Suns Focusing On Future
While the Pelicans have dropped in the standings due to health issues but Phoenix has fallen for other reasons. They had a locker room problem with Goran Dragic and Isiah Thomas, then they’ve had chemistry issues following the trades. While the addition of Brandon Knight should help in the long run, time is a luxury they don’t have right now. Phoenix has dropped eight of its last 10 games to fall 2.5 games back of the Thunder and if they couldn’t hold on to their lead despite everything that Oklahoma City has been through to this point, it’s unlikely they will be able to turn things around now.
Thunder In The Driver’s Seat
The shift in the outlook for the Thunder has allowed them to turn their attention to the teams above them in the standings including the slumping Spurs and the injury-riddled Clippers. Westbrook and Durant’s play will go a long way in determining how high Oklahoma City is able to climb and with just 5.5 games separating fourth from eighth in the standings another extended win streak could be enough to vault them in to that picture. The Thunder certainly helped their own case by putting together seven straight wins and thanks to the poor play of the Pelicans and Suns their path to the playoffs just got a lot easier.
