The OKC Thunder are viewed by the masses as the best team in the league in 2024-25, and their recent stretch of play is a testimony to just how worthy they are of donning such a reputation.
At least, that's what coach Mark Daigneault seems to be suggesting with his recent remarks.
Over the last 13 nights, Oklahoma City has played in a total of eight games in seven different cities and has participated in two separate back-to-backs.
8 games
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 6, 2025
13 days
7 different cities
GN 😴 pic.twitter.com/1XgOk6bJZb
As he boldly noted during his post-game press conference Wednesday following their win over the Memphis Grizzlies, Daigneault strongly believes that this has unequivocally been the club's "toughest stretch of the season."
"That's as tough of a stretch we've had from a travel and condensed games [standpoint]. It's as tough of a stretch as we've had in a couple of years," Daigneault said.
OKC Thunder coach calls past eight games 'toughest stretch' in years
What's impressive about these comments is that the Thunder didn't just manage to stay afloat throughout such a daunting period -- they absolutely dominated!
Throughout such scheduling-induced adversities, Oklahoma City still ultimately came away with a sensational record of 7-1, with their lone loss coming on the second night of a back-to-back via a historic comeback effort by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Along the way, they've also seen otherworldly on-court production, particularly on the offensive end (an area they've been somewhat up-and-down in throughout the year) where they've dropped a whopping 131.9 points per night (leads the league) while shooting 50.3 percent from the floor (fifth-best mark) and 42.0 percent from distance (second-best mark).
On top of this, despite playing against all but one team (the Utah Jazz being the lone exception) that's legitimately in the running for a postseason berth, during this span they found themselves boasting a point differential of +11.4, 91 in total.
What's perhaps most important about their recent stretch is that they've shown an ability to persevere even amid such trying times, an attribute many believe they've yet to definitively prove capable of throughout the season.
Just recently, ESPN's Tim Legler made it a point to claim that their February 24 loss to the Wolves should be seen as a learning moment for OKC, one that they'll look to as "a lesson" to not take "their foot off the gas," regardless of the situation.
Being capable of rolling with the punches and handling hardships only to emerge triumphant is a clear-cut sign of a team being capable of winning it all.
Though it may only have come in regular season action, even Legler admitted during Wednesday night's bout against Memphis that this team looks ready to take that next step.
Hopefully they'll be able to take full advantage of their upcoming three-game home stand and see this momentum carry on over into the final stretch run of the campaign and straight into the playoffs.