Oklahoma City Thunder and the Regular Season Lull
Am I the only person bored by the Oklahoma City Thunder season right now? Let me clarify. Some games are exciting, the players on exciting, and I love the winning and hate the losing. But we’re currently in a midseason lull where the games just don’t seem to matter.
Barring a miracle, OKC is more or less locked into the three-seed in the Western Conference. It’s possible that they slip up a bit and end up fourth in the standings, but either way they’re not getting one of the top two seeds. And that’s why I’m bored with the regular season. These games matter, but they don’t really matter.
It’s been a flaw in the NBA for a few years now. The regular season is just an 82-game marathon that leads into the inevitable LeBron James East Team vs. Top Two Seed West Team. We’re on course for the same thing this year, although Thunder fans are hopeful for a 2011 repeat, where the three seeded Dallas Mavericks won the NBA title.
So how do you get through this regular season lull? Here is my survival guide:
- Get excited for the trade deadline: Last year, the OKC completely re-tooled their bench, adding D.J. Augustin, Kyle Singler, and Enes Kanter to go along with Dion Waiters, who was acquired earlier in the season. I don’t think we’re going to see a big overhaul this year, but with this possibly being Kevin Durant’s last year, Sam Presti might feel the need to go “all-in” and acquire a player he normally wouldn’t target. The Thunder have the pieces to make a medium sized move at the deadline and the rumors are often times more intriguing than the actual deals.
- Enjoy the big games: Blowout wins against Dallas back-ups or the Timberwolves don’t mean anything. Even close games and losses to less than stellar teams don’t mean too much (although this whole “blowing fourth quarter leads on the road” thing is getting annoying). Important games are the ones against the Warriors, Spurs, and Cavaliers. Those are the teams that the Thunder needs to beat because those are the teams they’ll have to play in the playoffs. Regular season success against them won’t be everything, but it could give them a mental boost in the postseason.
- Look for improvements and patterns: Have you noticed Steven Adams is pretty good offensively or that Cameron Payne is picking up things on the defensive end? It’s always fun to see role players improve their game because those are the guys that OKC needs to contribute in case Durant and Westbrook are having tough nights. The same goes for the coaches. Keep an eye on who Billy Donovan plays in certain situations and whether or not he’s learning from his mistakes.
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- Watch football: There are only three games left.
- Watch other games: It’s perfectly acceptable for you, as a Thunder fan, to watch other games and get to know other players. Marvel at the how good the Warriors are, DVR every single Greg Popovich interview and watch on a loop, and…well, those are really the only two teams worth watching.
- Watch other players: The Warriors and Spurs are the only two teams worth watching, but there are a ton of great players that are worth watching. You can watch Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns do great things for the Timberwolves or Kobe Bryant miss a lot of shots for the Lakers. You can check out the revival of Rajon Rondo or the increasingly lifeless Derrick Rose.
- Come up with ideas to fix All-Star weekend: This never gets boring for me. I love the idea of a two-on-two tournament. I also love the idea of a free throw shooting contest between Andre Drummond, DeAndre Jordan, Hassan Whiteside, and Dwight Howard or a three-point contest between Kobe, Westbrook, Monta Ellis, and O.J. Mayo. This year, I would like to add Spurs/Warriors vs. NBA All-Stars.
- Play NBA 2K16: It’s a really good game. And you can simulate past the regular season lull, right to the playoffs. You can even simulate the playoffs. Just make sure you save and exit in case you lose. Remember, the ultimate goal is to win a title every year, even if you have to cheat a little. Better than all that, you can easily trade Dion Waiters. Package him with D.J. Augustin and you can get a nice little return from most teams.
- Cherish Durant: Because he might be gone in July.