Over halfway through the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder remain dominant in spite of a recent rough stretch. They have 6.5 games in hand for the one-seed in the Western Conference, and they hold an undeniable 35-7 record.
Although there are some concerns lingering with their half-court offense and their consistency from beyond the arc, they have proved themselves, yet again, as the NBA's most formidable team.
Yet this season is less clear-cut than their last campaign, at least from a postseason perspective.
In CBS Sports' recent championship predictions, three out of the five experts picked the Denver Nuggets as the eventual NBA champions.
The Nuggets, to be certain, are a major threat to the Thunder's championship hopes, and the experts' choices reflect a unique anxiety in Oklahoma City. Will there ultimately be a team that reaches the necessary cohesivenessss and depth to dethrone the reigning champs?
If there is, it will be the Nuggets.
The Denver Nuggets pose the greatest threat to the Thunder, and the experts are starting to buy in
On one hand, the opinion of experts means nothing when it actually comes down to it in the playoffs. The Thunder still have the most imposing defense in the league. When their offense is right, there are few that can match them in that regard.
As it stands, they are fifth in the league in offensive rating and first in defense, leading the NBA in net rating by a whopping 5.9 points per 100 possessions. That gap between them and the second-place Boston Celtics is still larger than the gap between the Celtics and the 11th-place Phoenix Suns.
What is concerning is that Denver has not really been at full strength yet. Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun have missed significant portions of the first half of the season. Nikola Jokic remains out until the end of January.
When everyone has been available, however, they have looked absolutely lethal. Jamal Murray is having a career year, averaging 25.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 7.5 assists while knocking down 44.6% of his shots from beyond the arc. This provides Jokic with an accompanying All-Star: something he has not had to this point in his career.
The depth they have established with players like Jonas Valančiūnas, Spencer Jones, and Peyton Watson, rivals even Oklahoma City's remarkable roster.
This analysis of the two teams' championship hopes is purely hypothetical for now. Denver is fifth in net rating, and they will have a lot more to prove before the end of the season in order to be taken seriously as a team that can topple the Thunder.
But the threat remains, and CBS Sports' latest predictions only serve to stoke that fire.