OKC Thunder: B/R views one specific game as ‘must see TV’

With the official schedule for all NBA teams now released, Bleacher Report lists one specific game for the OKC Thunder as worthy of being circled in on the calendar.

After the franchise made a surprise run to the postseason in 2019-20, the OKC Thunder fanbase comes into the 2020-21 season with extremely low expectations, as the word “tank” rests soundly at the forefront of their minds.

Now, with the release of all 30 NBA team’s game schedules, it appears the league also has these same low expectations for the team, as they are locked in for a whopping zero nationally televised broadcasts.

Despite the lacking of attention from the media and the bevy of areas in which Oklahoma City still must address, to the delight of some there will still be a few exhibitions this year that could prove to be quite entertaining to view.

According to Bleacher Report, one of these specific games falls on January 27th, where the Thunder will be traveling to Phoenix to take on last year’s team leader, and lone All-Star Chris Paul.

Deemed as the one “game should be circled”, writer Andy Bailey cited the “passing of the torch” aspect to this game between presumed top-dog in OKC Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Paul.

"When they play each other, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will have a chance to deploy some of the knowledge Paul passed onto him against his former mentor. It’ll be like the one-on-one matchup you had with your dad in the backyard. Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Darth Vader. Neo vs. Morpheus."

While the OKC Thunder are, of course, expected to be contenders for the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, this is not to say that they don’t have a chance to compete on any given night. In this late January bout, with the “padawan becomes the master” narrative, it will be interesting to see how SGA handles the heat of going up against a man who recently labeled a ‘brother for life.’