The OKC Thunder may have coasted through the 2024-25 regular season with the top record in the league at 68-14 and the highest per-game point differential of all time at 12.9, but if Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets taught us anything, it's that they are still trying to find out how to succesfully nagivate through the NBA Playoffs.
Monday's Western Conference Semifinal opener was undoubtedly an example of the learning curve that comes with figuring out how to embark on a deep and prosperous run.
Despite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander having his best game of this year's postseason and Alex Caruso putting forth arguably his best showing as a member of the Thunder, the youngest team participating in this year's playoffs showcased their inexperience via a baffling late-game collapse.
Though confidence may still be rather high in OKC, with SGA reassuring fans and teammates post-game that his club will look to respond in an appropriate way in Game 2, as a result of initial shock, Monday night's chain of events may very well have reignited the widespread belief that the Thunder may still be too young to take home the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Game 1 loss may reignite belief that Thunder's youth will hold them back
During the months leading into the playoffs, keyboard warriors, media pundits, and even players around the league were seen tabbing the youth of Oklahoma City's roster as a possible disadvantage to their championship aspirations.
Despite being labeled as heavy favorites by the oddsmakers to run the postseason gamut and win the 2025 NBA title, many naysayers, such as Marcus Morris Sr., were quite vocal about not believing the hype, as the 13-year veteran went on record during an April 3 episode of First Take to say that he would be shocked if the Thunder even wound up coming out of the Western Conference.
"What has OKC done outside of the regular season?" Morris asked. "The average age of OKC is 24. Who's been to that mountain top? Who's been through adversity in OKC?"
Now, while many were quick to lambast the forward for his take on the Thunder, especially considering their major offseason trade acquisition in Caruso has "been to that mountain top" while serving as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2020, a little over a month removed from officially making these comments, one could argue his concerns about their inexperience remain.
Granted, they did handily down the 48-win Memphis Grizzlies in four games during round one and even found themselves pulling off a historic, 29-point comeback along the way. To some, the way Oklahoma City handled itself in the quarterfinals quieted the concerns of their greenness.
However, with how things ultimately played out against the Nuggets in Game 1, there's a strong case to be made that the question marks surrounding their lack of playoff know-how may deserve to resurface.