This matchup between the OKC Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers undoubtedly managed to live up to the historic hype it had received over the days leading up to Wednesday's tip-off.
From 30 different lead changes to a point difference of just three with roughly a minute to go in regulation, this back-and-forth bout between two of the league's true juggernauts proved to be the "It" game of the regular season.
Of course, though excitement and energy were at playoff-level highs throughout, in the end, this showdown wound up with Oklahoma City collecting their sixth loss of the season and, more notably, snapping their win-streak at 15, as they were ultimately downed by a final score of 129-122.
While the club's status as the game's best defensive team and number one seed in the Western Conference standings is still well intact even with the results of this hard-fought affair, fans and players hanging their heads after falling short in the closing minute of action is a very real possibility.
However, Donovan Mitchell's post-game remarks on the promise that this OKC team has may be the pick-me-up that Thunder Nation needs following this game, as he spoke glowingly about their potential moving forward this season and even publicly predicted that he expects them to make a deep run come playoff time.
Donovan Mitchell talks promise of OKC Thunder after Cavaliers win
"They're a talented team. They're going to go far in the playoffs," Mitchell said.
On top of this, Mitchell would also praise Oklahoma City's talent pool, saying "Shai's an MVP candidate" -- which he showcased Wednesday with his 31-point showing -- and highlighting how they have guys like "Lu Dort, Jaylen Williams, Cason Wallace" and "a lot of great defenders" on their side.
What's also worth noting is that, at some point this season, they're bound to add rising star center Chet Holmgren back into their already top-flight rotation.
With him in the fold for nine full games earlier in the year, the Thunder found themselves sporting a winning percentage of 88.9 while the big man was dropping career-high averages of 18.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game.
Unfortunately, seeing him rejoin his teammates may still be a ways away as recently suggested by head coach Mark Daigneault.
Because of this, all OKC should be focusing on is getting back into the win column with Friday night's matchup against the Knicks, starting a new multi-game streak, and figuring out what went wrong against the Cavaliers before their rematch comes about on January 18 back at Paycom Center.
One loss does not change how this Thunder team should be viewed as they make their way through the rest of this 2024-25 season, and you, me, and, as made clear from his post-game remarks, Donovan Mitchell are well aware of this.