Near the start of the regular season, it seemed as though the Oklahoma City Thunder might genuinely be pushing for the regular-season wins record. They began the year to the astounding tune of 24-1.
Then their shooting variance and injuries caught up to them. They struggled, by their standards, through November and December, while lengthy absences for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams made January and February equally tough months.
They've since found their stride, but in the meantime, they've allowed the San Antonio Spurs to remain in the race for the first seed in the Western Conference. With just five games remaining in both teams' schedules, San Antonio sits just two games back.
While there's very little margin for error for the Spurs, them claiming the one seed remains within the realm of possibility.
The Thunder are now missing out on the luxury that almost every dominant team gets at the end of the regular season. They won't be able to rest their stars over these last few games.
Thunder need to play all the way to the end of the regular season to fend off the Spurs
After finishing with a 34-48 record last season, the Spurs were expected to take a major leap this year. No one, however, expected them to be as formidable as they've been this season. As it stands, they're fifth in the NBA in offensive rating and third in defensive rating. With Victor Wembanyama at the helm, their defensive connectivity has been off the charts, and they have the right combination of interior penetration and outside shooting to be lethal offensively when they need to be.
Their two remaining matchups against the Denver Nuggets will likely determine their chances of swooping in and stealing the one seed.
But no matter what, the Thunder will have to remain on guard at least over their next couple of games.
This isn't necessarily an absolute disaster for Oklahoma City. Players like Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein have missed large chunks of the season. It's likely that Mark Daigneault would use these last few games to iron out rotations and ramp these players up no matter the circumstances.
But the longer you leave your stars in action, whether that's starting them against a tanking team or playing them deeper into matches against other contenders, the more risk you're taking on at this point in the season.
Hopefully Oklahoma City can get this thing wrapped up over their next couple of games.