The OKC Thunder just won an NBA Championship two seasons ago, are led by the reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and are tabbed as the favorites to take home the Larry O'Brien Trophy once again heading into the 2026-27 season.
Yet, despite this, it seems they're being slightly overlooked as a must-see marquee team by the schedule-makers.
Yes, Oklahoma City is slated to take part in two of the most exciting days of the regular season, as they'll be the closer on October 20's opening-night tip-off in a road tilt against the Spurs and are set to partake in their second-straight Christmas Day game with a 2025 Western Conference Finals rematch against Minnesota.
However, while their involvement could be taken as a sign of respect from the league, frankly, seeing the Thunder play in such outings is to be expected, given their reputation.
What's rather surprising is that they didn't seem worthy to have featured on two other top-billed dates during the NBA season, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents' Day.
Now, though some may view their omission from these respective slates as a non-story, the fact that the Thunder are the only team ranked in the top four in NBA Championship odds to not have a game on either holiday is certainly eye-catching.
MLK Day and Presidents' Day are interchangeably the second- and third-biggest days in the regular season from a viewership standpoint, and not having the Thunder, who have been the best team in the association for three straight years, involved in either is a highly questionable decision by the NBA.
Thunder have an opportunity to exact revenge right out of the gates
With or without feeling slighted by their lack of involvement in a couple of key regular season dates, or by the fact that they'll be hitting the road in the ones that they are a part of, this Thunder team will likely be kicking off the campaign with the wrath of a thousand suns thanks to their opening night matchup against San Antonio.
The Spurs sent Oklahoma City packing from this past postseason in a hard-fought Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, ending their quest to become the first repeat champion since the 2018 Warriors in the process.
On top of this, Victor Wembanyama and co. also came away victorious from four of their five regular-season matchups played against OKC, giving them an overall head-to-head record of 8-4 on the year.
Because of this, Cason Wallace recently revealed that the Thunder have accepted that they "got the best of us" last season, but believes that this has lit a fire under their "competitive spirit" and has the club heading into the campaign with revenge on their minds.
Fortunately for them, they have a chance to start the year off on the right foot with their opening bout coming against their budding rivals in San Antonio.
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