The OKC Thunder hope to strike lightning twice by drafting generational talents similar to how the franchise began. Three of those players went on to win Most Valuable Player and two are now on the same team again — Kevin Durant and James Harden.
It’s an odd situation because with a push-pull dynamic. Part of the Thunder fan wants to cheer for the former Thunder teammate’s success and the bitter side feels slighted that they aren’t with the Thunder any longer.
Entering the season the Nets were the prohibitive favorites to win the title. Then Kyrie Irving changed the narrative by electing to not get vaccinated. Because New York mandates the vaccine in crowded spaces it meant Irving couldn’t play at Barclays Center. Eventually, Sean Marks had to make the decision to tell the star he’d have to stay away until vaccinated.
It wasn’t tenable to only have Irving playing in road games. Both in terms of how much it could upset the flow of the squad and the inevitable constant questioning it would elicit from the media.
Brooklyn hasn’t suffered much with Kevin Durant performing at an MVP level and looking as dominant as he did prior to his Achilles injury (the Bulls blowout on Monday notwithstanding).
OKC Thunder faces former teammates as Nets roll into town
So much for the Thunder being the worst team in NBA history — guess those writers will have to eat a little crow on those statements. Intentions never agreed but in faIrness didn’t expect them to be as competitive as they are. Four wins in a row have been a slice of heaven, especially when the expectation was Mark Daigneault would throw games via his substitutions.
With Keven Durant in town let’s just say we’re hoping the win streak extends to five — just for the bragging rights.
Although the Nets got off to a slow start and have progressively looked better they seem to approach games with a cavalier attitude. Some analysts have suggested they aren’t concerned about seeding and others feel Kyrie Irving will eventually return.
It’s hard to argue that point – one look at James Harden and it was clear he was out of shape. Sure, he couldn’t do the same offseason preparation because he was letting the hamstring heal but he’s been off the court before and not been this big.
I’m not trying to be a smart alec when I ask would it be a lot to ask Harden to be careful with his diet if he couldn’t do his normal conditioning? I mean he is earning almost $44 million this season. Or perhaps I’m being naive.
Maybe the situation changes for all the Nets knowing they have arguably the biggest x-factor in the NBA — Kevin Durant. He is a gamechanger whose presence makes the Nets a contender regardless of who is on the court.
KD proved that last season with a hobbled Harden and without Irving. Even against all those odds and facing a Milwaukee team stacked with depth, the game came down to a toenail. A toe that could’ve been the difference between the Nets going to the Finals instead of the Bucks.
With that, let’s take a closer look at this matchup and areas the OKC Thunder can take advantage of.