Not too long ago, the Western Conference looked terrifyingly stacked. Including the OKC Thunder, it appeared that anywhere from six to eight teams all had legitimate cases to leave their mark on the 2026 playoff race.
Fast forward to early April, however, and the field is looking thinner than ever, with Oklahoma City unexpectedly finding itself in a possible dreamlike position.
It was never a mystery that OKC would have a date with a play-in team in the first round, but the rest was anybody's guess.
Now, if the season ended today, the Thunder would find themselves destined for a second-round matchup against either the hobbled Los Angeles Lakers or the dysfunctional Houston Rockets.
With both teams three games up on the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves, the current arrangement looks all but certain.
Thunder couldn't ask for a better second-round situation
The Thunder are a combined 6-1 against the aforementioned two teams, with their only loss coming against Houston while guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Ajay Mitchell were all sidelined.
Not only has SGA and company dominated these clubs, but they are catching the squads at the perfect time.
Both Los Angeles and Houston have been trending in the wrong direction.
The Rockets, who were tabbed as a title contender ever since they made the offseason splash of acquiring Kevin Durant, have been making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Earlier this year, Durant was accused of running burner accounts on social media (again) to bash teammates and others, and various whispers around the league have claimed it to cause fractures in the locker room.
Durant has also been spotted getting visibly frustrated with teammates on the court.
They are also 3-8 against the top-three teams in the West.
Coach J.J. Reddick's Lakers, meanwhile, were looking like a future playoff juggernaut just last month until the wheels unexpectedly fell off in Oklahoma City on April 2.
Los Angeles saw season-ending injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves in their embarrassing 43-point loss.
The status of the two stars is up in the air for the playoffs.
Thunder lucked out with competitors' respective implosions
Due to the current state of these two competitors, the Thunder will likely be primed for a back-to-back cakewalk series to begin their title run before running into more serious contenders.
Once they inevitably run into the likes of San Antonio or Denver, OKC should be well-rested, both physically and emotionally, for a heavyweight bout with one of those squads.
Meanwhile, Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokic will have to deal with one another for a week and a half before getting their shot at the defending champs.
Simply put, things are shaping up rather nicely for the defending champions as they aim to run it back.