For the Oklahoma City Thunder, the final matchup of the regular season didn't carry many serious implications.
They rested all of their starters apart from Lu Dort, giving players like Nikola Topic, Jared McCain, and Brooks Barnhizer extensive run. Even though the Phoenix Suns largely did the same, their energy and effort far outpaced Oklahoma City's. Phoenix came away with a 135-103 victory.
But the Thunder had already wrapped up the one seed, and what truly mattered for them on the final day of the regular season were the results of the games of their Western Conference foes.
With the Denver Nuggets' dominant win over the San Antonio Spurs, they clinched themselves the third seed in the West, setting them up for a second-round matchup with San Antonio. As a result, the Thunder will dodge both teams until the Western Conference Finals.
With their two biggest threats pitted against each other, Oklahoma City may have already stamped their ticket to another deep playoff run.
The Thunder may have gotten the easiest possible path through the first two playoff rounds
The Thunder have been absolutely dominant this season. Excluding their two losses after they had clinched the one seed, they've suffered just a singular defeat since March 1. In that span, they possess the best defensive rating in the league. While the offense has stalled at times, they're well-positioned as the championship favorites for the second year in a row.
If there's anyone to be afraid of, however, it's the Nuggets and the Spurs. You can ignore the injuries and defensive struggles Denver has worked through this year. When they're right, they're the most formidable offense in the league, and Nikola Jokic is a force to be reckoned with in any playoff series.
San Antonio, meanwhile, is 4-1 against Oklahoma City this season. While it remains to be seen how their young roster will handle the pressure of the playoffs, Victor Wembanyama is a force unto himself. Their plethora of swarming guards and their overwhelming defensive identity could make them a serious threat.
The Nuggets' win on Sunday means the Thunder will only have to play one of those teams en route to the Finals.
For their part, Oklahoma City will face off in a first-round matchup against the team that emerges out of the second set of Play-In Tournament matchups. While all four of those teams have shown flashes of scrappy identities over the course of the season, none should truly be a match for them.
Their second-round matchup would be against either the Los Angeles Lakers or the Houston Rockets. The Lakers are still struggling with injuries, and it appears as though Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves will miss most of the first round. If they return in time for the second round, the Thunder have shown they're capable of shutting down Los Angeles's offense even with their roster at full strength.
While Houston has largely regained their footing since they suffered a rough mid-season stretch, it's become clear they don't have the offensive hierarchy nor the ball-handling to truly be a threat in clutch games. Oklahoma City shouldn't truly be worried about either team.
By earning the third seed, therefore, Denver just made the Thunder's path to the Western Conference Finals infinitely easier.