The above picture perfectly encompasses the mood of today’s OKC Thunder in the News.
Yikes. Just when we thought the Oklahoma City Thunder were turning the corner, three straight games of disinterested basketball have us back at square one. The Thunder are only two games above .500. They’re record is currently closer to the 9-seed than the 4-seed. It seems like that 14-6 stretch did more harm than good – they saw what they were capable of and decided the rest of the regular season was meaningless. Let’s see what others have to say.
Heavy dose of Thunder-Timberwolves comparisons
This roundtable posted before last night’s debacle, but everything that’s said still reigns true. Yes, The Timberwolves and Thunder are incredibly close. Yes, I’d still take Oklahoma City in a Playoff series because of their experience. But wow does Minnesota’s future look 10000000X brighter. If OKC continues along this inconsistent path it’s hard to envision Paul George (who is a big reason for the inconsistency) staying. I hate to say it, but George doesn’t play with the passion he’s preaching. But that’s another article for another day.
"The Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder could be headed for a first-round playoff matchup."
Quick look at the standings
I’d like to take this moment and direct you to the Western Conference standings.
After last night it’s going to be incredibly difficult for the Thunder to surpass Minnesota and get home court advantage. Time to consider a #6 seed finish to avoid Golden State? pic.twitter.com/2Dt8mSe0Rb
— Thunderous Intentions (@thunderousint) January 11, 2018
A #3 seed is officially out of the question – don’t even consider it a possibility. Even the #4 seed will be tough to come by considering the Timberwolves are rolling AND have the tiebreaker. It is possible, but it’s hard to imagine this team making up 5.5 games (remember: tiebreaker) when they’re less consistent than pudding. While I don’t think a Russell Westbrook-led team will ever try to tank, I think it’s important to note that a #6 seed is more probable at this point than a #4 seed.
Jeremy Lambert describes our mood perfectly
Finally we rightfully end with the greatest pessimist in all of Thunder Nation. Jeremy’s piece, as it always does, fantastically captures our collective feelings. Why this team has such a high ceiling and such a low floor is simply incredible. With a little help from Jeremy and our old friend Kevin Durant, an old lesson helps explain why:
"But, you know what they say, hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard."
Next: Three potential trades to acquire Kyle O'Quinn
That’s it for today’s melancholy edition of Thunder in the News. We’ll be back tomorrow with another roundup, and because it will be written by my wonderful Co-Expert Tamberlyn Richardson, it’s sure to have a much happier tone. Make sure you’re checking our home page for all of our great content in the mean time.