Thunderous Intentions
Fansided

OKC Thunder: Analyzing stretch run schedules with view to seeding

By Tamberlyn Richardson

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - FEBRUARY 26: Anthony Davis
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - FEBRUARY 26: Anthony Davis /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
8 of 21
Next
OKC Thunder - teams stretch schedule report
SAN ANTONIO, TX – FEBRUARY 28: Kawhi Leonard /

 San Antonio Spurs:

Yes. the three things in life you know for sure are death, taxes and the Spurs going to the playoffs. When they fell to tenth and the BBoyz started to panic they wouldn’t make the postseason, I said give it a week, to which they inquired “why?”.  Me: ‘because they’ll be seeded again, on a win streak and contending for home court again”.  What can I say, except — death, taxes and the Spurs.

So, this past week only serves as a reminder never to take the Spurs for granted.  San Antonio won six in a row including a victory over Utah which was one of the best games this season. Prior to the Jazz the week offered two wins (Warriors, Wizards). San Antonio closed out the week with a loss to the Bucks.

San Antonio sit just a half game back for the Thunder, have an equal number of losses (30) and one less win (with a game in hand).

Remaining schedule includes:

  • At Washington Wizards, Tuesday 27
  • OKC Thunder, Thursday 29
  • Houston Rockets, Sunday, April 1
  • At LA Clippers, Tuesday 3
  • At LA Lakers, Wednesday 4
  • Portland Trail Blazers, Saturday 7
  • Sacramento Kings, Monday 9
  • At New Orleans Pelicans, Wednesday 11

Eight games remain for the Spurs with the pressing question the same as it’s been all season – will Kawhi Leonard return and if so, when? Leonard’s presence is a big deal. It’s on par with the OKC Thunder losing Westbrook for all but nine games this season.  Or perhaps the closer equivalent given the addition of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony would be it’s the equivalent of Indy losing Victor Oladipo because without him the Pacers are a completely different team.

The top seeds are no doubt paying close attention to the standings on a daily basis and tracking social media with a keen eye for any Leonard updates.

To close out the season the Spurs face six potential playoff teams, play four on the road and one more back to back set.

Clearly the five potential west playoff seeds offers the most intrigue with the final game of the season potentially determining who makes the cut and probably where the rest of the seeds fall.

Home/Thunder News