The Oklahoma City Thunder started this season on a historic pace, before falling into a more difficult stretch over the last month or so. But what the Thunder proved in their blowout win over the Spurs on Tuesday night was this: that they are still unquestionably the team to beat in this league, and that they should still be considered favorites to take home the championship in June.
Every team runs into a tough stretch during their season, no matter how talented or consistent they are. That's the nature of life in the NBA. This isn't college basketball. You can't just trot out the best or most talented roster every night and win simply based off talent alone. Try to do that, and you'll be racking up losses fast.
So it shouldn't come as a shock at all that Oklahoma City ran into their own unique struggles even after starting so well. 82 games is a long season, and it's almost as if you play several smaller seasons between October and April. That's why you win some and you lose some, and you try your best to figure things out as you go along. Ideally, you peak going into the playoffs, and play your best basketball in the springtime.
The Thunder aren't going to catch the Golden State Warriors' 73-9 record for greatest regular season ever anymore. And while it's okay to admit that this was an admirable goal to chase, it's also important to recognize that the struggles they've been going through recently shouldn't be brushed off as nothing.
The Thunder have responded to adversity well
It would seem that the team has certainly taken improvement seriously. After losing four out of six in December, OKC has now won eight of their last 10, getting back on track and really making a statement by taking down San Antonio, who had beaten them three straight times this season.
That win felt like a "getting the monkey off their back" type of game. It seemed like all of the Thunder's struggles could indirectly be related to the Spurs, given that they ended Oklahoma City's 16-game winning streak and seemed to have their number for a bit.
After falling to Charlotte last week, Oklahoma City took care of business in the clutch by winning an overtime contest with the Jazz and then sneaking out of Memphis with a one-point win. That shows that they're taking care of business and finding ways to win.
All of this indicates that the Thunder are still the top dogs in the association. Tough times are going to come, but as always, the question is not "what happened to you," it's "how did you respond?" OKC has clearly answered the bell.