Thunderous Intentions
Fansided

Thunder In the news: OKC control their destiny – can clinch in Miami

By Tamberlyn Richardson

HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 7: on April 7, 2018 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 7: on April 7, 2018 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Two games remain for the OKC Thunder and they are in the position to control their own destiny.

Well Thunder Nation following an exciting victory by the OKC Thunder in Houston they team has reached the final two games of the season. Left on the slate are a game this evening in Miami and one final game at home versus the Grizzlies.

Although we’re no closer to knowing how the west will shake out in terms in seeding at least the Thunder control their own fate.  A single victory cements the Thunder’s ticket to the postseason. Since Minnesota and Denver trail OKC by a game and by virtue of playing each other the final night a win by OKC would put them out of reach of at least one of the squads.

Entering the game tonight it is difficult to know whether the Heat are invested in winning or not. In the Heat’s past ten games they’ve won six times but only twice against non lottery teams and one of those was against the Nuggets which took overtime to decide.

Miami always get up for matches against Cleveland, so that win was understandable. But, losses to the Knicks and Nets have scribes wondering if the Heat are purposely trying to fail in order to garner the more coveted seven spot to match up against the injury riddled Celtics.

Conversely, the Thunder are fighting for every loose ball and rebound as they attempt to secure their playoff berth. Due to the confidence on the team it isn’t surprising the Thunder don’t seem to care who they play first.

What the fan base is most anxious to witness is back to back efforts like the one the team delivered in Houston.

Five Takeaways:

To that end there were five specific takeaways the Thunder can focus on from the win versus the Rockets which would serve them well to finish the season and carry through into the postseason.

"In retrospect, this is probably the overriding feeling fans and analysts alike will carry through the final two games and well into the postseason. Certainly a deep playoff run will erase any and all of those mixed emotions.For now, there will continue to be bated breath moments until the team inks their berth. Looking back at the win however, there are five key points to focus on moving forward."

Eight Worst Losses of 2017-18:

More from Thunderous Intentions

And, in case there was any question regarding how the Thunder tend to give the fanbase reason to worry Alex Mcewen looked back at the eight worst OKC Thunder losses of the season.

"Teams with 34 or more losses on the season, such as Oklahoma City have a few losses that stick out more than others. Whether it was a lackadaisical performance, the opposing squad having an all-star absent, or even missed calls. The reason why OKC lost doesn’t matter now, only the outcome."

Scared Straight:

Berry Tramel’s column in NewsOK might offer the best analogy for how precarious the Thunder’s season has been. More notably, his allusion to where OKC would’ve been had they not won Saturday points to the craziness of this season.

"We can always hope that the Thunder was sufficiently scared straight. If the Thunder had lost in Houston, OKC would be in ninth place in the West and likely would need to beat both Miami and Memphis to make the playoffs. Sometimes, standing on the edge of a cliff can straighten out your priorities. No way did the Thunder want a must-win game against the capable Heat.Now, it’s not must-win. And the Thunder is free to play without the pressure of the season collapsing.The rest of us can worry about playoff positioning. As crazy as it sounds, the Thunder is not out of the running for fourth in the West."

Let’s hope Tramel is correct and the team will play loose but focused so the team can return home with the Memphis game not requiring a must win effort.

Catch our game day preview later and an updated playoff picture for both conferences as they enter the final games of the season.

Home/Thunder News