OKC Thunder: Opponent lessons to help structure next era of the franchise
Pacific Division:
In the West, the Pacific is the two ends of the spectrum division. On one hand, there are the Lakers and Warriors who reflect the long-term winners and present-day dominant forces. On the other hand are the inept Clippers, Kings, and struggling Suns.
Golden State Warriors: 74 seasons – 6 titles (4 as GS, 2 with Philly)
This franchise has undergone several name changes beginning as the Philadelphia Warriors for the first 16 seasons. Then the franchise became the San Francisco Warriors for the next nine seasons and finally became the “Golden State” Warriors in 1971 where they remain the past 49 seasons. The franchise has six titles to their credit, two with the Philadelphia Warriors and four with the Golden State group.
Like the Raptors in the East, the Warriors’ best franchise run came recently with seven consecutive playoff appearances. However, the Dubs hold the best overall record in the period with three championships and five straight NBA Finals appearances. In all, the Dubs have played in 11 NBA Finals, five in the earlier iterations of the franchise where they won twice.
The longest absence by the Warriors in the postseason was a dozen years between 1994 and 2006.
LA Clippers: 50 seasons – no titles
In 50 seasons of existence, this club spent eight seasons as the Buffalo Braves, and six as the San Diego Clippers prior to becoming their current titled LA Clippers.
In those 50 seasons, the club has only 15 postseason appearances. The majority of those (eight) came since the Thunder joined the association.
Like the Wizards the Clippers are arguably the greatest disappointment of the past 12 years. Despite reaching the playoffs in eight out of nine seasons they never got past the second round with four trips to the semi-finals being their best mark.
Like the Rockets, the Thunder should be keeping an eye on what occurs to the Clippers at the end of this coming season. If they fail to re-sign their two superstars it could result in a similar situation to what the Celtics experienced with all the Brooklyn Nets draft picks.
LA Lakers: 71 seasons – 17 titles (12 with LA, 5 with Minneapolis)
The reigning champs, like the Warriors, boast three titles in this 12-year segment but the most recent came after six consecutive years of missing the playoffs. That latter stat is important since it’s the longest absence in the Lakers’ 71-year history (including when they were the Minneapolis Lakers).
In fact, the Lakers have missed the playoffs 11 times in total so that six-year stretch was significant and proves how much more difficult it is in the current era to rebuild or attempt to tank and jump right back in the playoff mix.
It’s no wonder NBA fans of all ages tend to despise the Lakers given their league-leading 32 NBA Finals trips. Celtics fans can revel in the knowledge they tend to win when they get there (17 of 21) whereas the Lakers are closer to .500 when they get to the Finals. The current iteration of the franchise the “Los Angeles Lakers” is 12-14 in their 26 NBA Finals.
Phoenix Suns: 52 seasons – no titles
The last time the Suns were in the playoffs it was 2009-10 and that was their only appearance in this past 12-year stretch.
Phoenix’s best run occurred between 1977 and 2010. During that 33 year stretch, the club reached the postseason 27 times and missed out only on six occasions. They made only one NBA Final when Charles Barkley did everything he could to try to beat MJ but came up short.
In fact, the Suns might be the unluckiest squad in the association given the year Robert Horry committed a flagrant foul on Steve Nash causing the Suns’ bench to erupt as players flooded on the floor. Suspensions to Boris Diaw and Amare Stoudemire followed and that allowed the Spurs to win by three points in Phoenix to take the series lead and close-out at home in six games.
Suns fans will always believe that one act by Robert Horry robbed them of a title while the Spurs went on to win their fourth title sweeping the Cavaliers. The moral of the story is luck plays a role in every championship and sometimes maybe in franchise history too.
To that end, if there is a franchise that exemplifies how difficult it can be to restructure a winning team and quickly return to prominence, it’s Phoenix. The Suns have made copious quality first-round draft picks and seem close to returning but have missed the last 10 consecutive seasons.
Fortunately, the ownership and culture in OKC should equate to avoiding the same mistakes Phoenix has made.
Kings: 72 seasons (35 as Sacramento – no titles) Rochester Royals – 1 title
A franchise with history and many different names and locations credited to it. The Kings have had five different team names (and/or locations. The first nine years they were the Rochester Royals, switching to the Cincinnati Royals for the next 15 seasons. For three seasons they were the Kansas City – Omaha Kings, then just the Kansas City Kings for the next decade. The franchise switched to the Sacramento Kings in 1985 where they have remained for the past 35 seasons.
In the spring of 2006, the Kings capped an eight-year stretch of consecutive playoff appearances. Since then they’ve failed to return to the postseason. During the OKC Thunder era, the Kings have been the worst franchise in the association. Sacramento is the absolute last franchise the Thunder wants to emulate in their rebuilding phase.