Heading into round two, only four reigning NBA Champions over the past 30 years have managed to start out their postseason run boasting an undefeated, 5-0 record. Following Tuesday's Game 1 win over Los Angeles, the OKC Thunder officially became the fifth member of such an exclusive club.
Perhaps the most impressive part about them accomplishing such a feat is the fact that they have barely seemed to break a sweat en route to such a storied streak.
Throughout their quarterfinals series against Phoenix, Oklahoma City ranked first among playoff teams in points per game (122.8) and offensive rating (127.2), and second in point-differential (plus-17.3), while core guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams all missed at least one full fourth quarter of action.
Now, following their semifinal series opener against the Lakers, the Thunder find themselves once again producing at truly elite, two-way levels by boasting the second-best net rating in round two (20.4) while holding LA to just 90 points on 41.2 percent shooting from the floor and playing a total of 10 players on the night.
Add all of this to the fact that they handily came across such a milestone with Gilgeous-Alexander dropping below 20 points for the first time since last postseason (finished with 18 on the night) and coughing up seven turnovers, and it's easy to see why many consider this Thunder team to be one the deepest in recent memory.
Thunder star's 20-point streak not impacted by latest showing
While the Thunder's recent outing against the Lakers may have affected their current win-loss record, fortunately for SGA, it did not affect his history-setting scoring stretch.
Back in March, Gilgeous-Alexander officially surpassed Wilt Chamberlain's six-decade-old streak of consecutive 20-point games. By the time their season finale rolled around, he had boosted the number up to a ridiculous 140 straight.
Though it may have been an uncharacteristic sight to see the reigning MVP record a sub-20-point performance in Game 1, given that the streak only includes regular-season action, the record remains intact and ongoing.
Regardless of this showing, the Thunder star still finds himself ranking as the second-highest points-per-game scorer this postseason with 30.6 a night, trailing only Detroit's Cade Cunningham with 31.3.
Considering the last time Shai posted below 20 points, he went on to drop a whopping 40 in the very next outing, OKC fans should fully expect to see their cornerstone get back on track in the scoring department Thursday night during Game 2.
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