The OKC Thunder being on the verge of sweeping the Phoenix Suns should not come as a shock to anyone.
What has surprised many, though, is that all four Western Conference playoff matchups are in danger of ending in five games or less.
Under normal circumstances, Oklahoma City wouldn't think much of this fact. But given that Jalen Williams recently sustained his third hamstring strain of the season and is out at least a couple of weeks, coach Mark Daigneault and company are likely rooting for underdogs to extend as many series as possible to give their star more time to recover.
Unfortunately, hope for this is rapidly fading.
Thunder have cakewalk journey to Conference Finals matchup with Spurs
On the Thunder's side of the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers are one win away from closing out the Rockets. Though they dropped their last outing on Sunday night, Houston has looked inept on offense, and superstar Kevin Durant has been missing in action for most of the series.
A win would propel Los Angeles into the Western Conference Semifinals against a Thunder team that completely dismantled them during the regular season.
Of the four regular-season matchups between the teams, the Lakers came within 29 points of the defending champs just once.
Add in the fact that LeBron James and his squad currently lead the playoffs in turnovers per game, and a series against a team that prides themselves on defensive disruption could presumably be over in four to five games as well.
Assuming the San Antonio Spurs close out the Trail Blazers in Game 5, their next opponent currently looks underwhelming as well.
The Wolves are currently one game away from finishing off the Nuggets, but they will be playing the Spurs without their best player, Anthony Edwards, who hyperextended his knee and suffered a bone bruise in their previous game.
Even if Denver mounts a miracle series comeback, they have shown a number of glaring deficiencies in their entanglement with Minnesota. Their performance has even made the strongest believers doubt their ability to contend with the likes of San Antonio.
It appears that, on paper, the Spurs will have no trouble advancing to the Western Conference Finals.
Thunder may not have ample time for Jalen Williams to recover
A Conference Finals matchup between OKC and San Antonio looks all but inevitable at this point.
With other title contenders already beginning to show their true colors, the two teams are looking stronger than ever.
If the lopsided playoff affairs continue, however, the Thunder could be faced with toppling the Victor Wembanyama-led squad at less than full strength.
Constant sweeps and five-game series could rob Jalen Williams of much-needed recovery time before the climax of their postseason run begins.
While the Thunder continue to dominate their competition, they will likely be praying for surges from other contenders to help prolong the 2025-2026 playoffs for as long as possible.
The Thunder have nearly everything to this point: depth, superstars, a genius head coach, and one of the league's stingiest defenses.
Now they just need to buy some time.
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