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Oklahoma City Thunder Lightning Round Preview

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chris Paul hope to pick up where they left off after NBA history's longest time out and resume play against the Utah Jazz and seven other teams next month in the seeding games.

Where Things Stood: At 40-24 before their tip-off with the Utah Jazz in Oklahoma City back in the second week of March 2020, the Thunder were making moves and making things interesting in a suddenly contested Western Conference that was mere percentage points separating the Jazz, Thunder and Houston Rockets. Utah was sitting at 41-23 (.641) while prepping to face the Thunder (.625) that would have broken the tie with Houston and put OKC in a tie with Utah had the Thunder won at home that night. Then warmups were shortened. Tip-off delayed. Then the season came to a screeching halt when it was found and announced that Jazz players Rudy Gobert and (later) Donovan Mitchell tested positive for COVID-19.

What’s Coming Up: As mentioned, the Thunder were on the brink of a special thrust into the upper echelon – home court – off the West. With only 18 games remaining (now pared down to 8 in the bubble format), a team that was supposed to be in one of the biggest rebuilds in NBA history had laser focus on the No. 4 seed and were prepared to snatch it from the visiting Jazz. With a new slate of games that will dictate their short playoff future, the Thunder have a chance to make a run for the ages. This trio of Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Dennis Schroder have proven that nothing is impossible. And, lest we forget, Steven Adams – the strongest man in the NBA – has had four-plus months to work out … and looks cut.

Game 1: Utah Jazz – Their first test will be a pick up from where both of these teams left off. The Thunder opened up the 2019-20 campaign losing to the Jazz by five on opening night. They beat the Jazz by 14 in Salt Lake City on December 9th behind the emergence of Schroder, who had 27 points. The third game was scheduled for March 11th, the aforementioned ill-fated affair. They’ll get the chance on Saturday, August 1st … it’s been one helluva time out.

Game 2: Denver Nuggets – Oklahoma City’s eight point loss to Denver in Denver, mid-December, may have been the catalyst that propelled them into contention, or at least a competitive, ‘we can do this’ mindset. They ripped off four consecutive wins after that night, against teams like Chicago, Memphis, Phoenix, and the Los Angeles Clippers, making Paul Geroge pay for asking for a trade. Gilgeous-Alexander, acquired in the George trade, heaped on the pain with 32 points against his former squad – his second 32 point game in a row. By the time the Thunder got their second chance they had against the Nuggets, they’d become more of a force than anyone expected them to be. They gave the home crowd a 12 point treat. That confidence could propel Oklahoma City, even through four plus months of uncertainty. 

Game 3: Los Angeles Lakers – Obviously, will be the Thunder’s toughest challenge. One hardly could argue that Oklahoma City has any answer for LeBron James and Anthony Davis. L.A. cleaned the Thunder’s clock at the Staples Center in mid-November, though three nights later at Chesapeake Energy Arena, the Thunder closed within three at the final buzzer. January 11th was another blowout – 15 points – meaning the Lakers have owned Oklahoma City almost as much as Clay Bennett. A win here would be a significant upset.

Game 4: Memphis Grizzlies – Always a classic rivalry, these two I-40 teams always play each other well, past the yesteryears of Kevin Durant-Russell Westbrook-James Harden and Mike Conley-Marc Gasol-Tony Allen. Despite a pre-season loss to the Grizz, Oklahoma City took an official ‘W’ on December 18th behind 31 points from Schroder, though Memphis paid the Thunder back eight nights later on the same floor. This game will be the Thunder’s turn to show the Grizzlies who belongs in the bubble tourney and who doesn’t.

Game 5: Washington Wizards – A Sunday morning brunch affair with former Thunder head coach Scott Brooks should prove profitable for the Thunder since many of the young guns on this iteration of the team didn’t play for Brooks. No loyalty, and the memory of a stinging 12 point loss on the second night of the season should propel OKC. Besides, the boys in blue never got a second shot at the Wizards … this is that game.

Game 6: Phoenix Suns – Phoenix may be the 13th team in the Western Conference to get a seed in the bubble tourney, but that doesn’t make the Suns any less dangerous than the Thunder. Devin Booker is one heck of a sharpshooter, Kelly Oubre, Jr. was arguably having the best season of his young career, and Deandre Ayton is turning out to be who we thought he was, in his sophomore season. Oklahoma City blistered the Suns at The ‘Peake in December, the first of Gilgeous-Alexander’s aforementioned back-to-back 32 points games, and eclipsed them again – by four – in Phoenix. Count this game as the third and final time.

Game 7: Miami Heat – Another dangerous team – actually two teams, if you think about it. Pat Riley has done a phenomenal job putting this Heat team together, with seasoned veterans to lead the way, and a young gun bench to carry the torch into the next generation of Miami ballers without so much as a hiccup of rebuilding. Oklahoma City lost the only game they played against Miami this season, by seven in OKC. They could right that wrong in this game, but it’s doubtful

Game 8: Los Angeles Clippers – Appropriately, they will wrap the seeding round by playing George and the Clippers. Former teammates against former teammates. The Thunder have a lot to prove and the Clippers have nothing to lose. Except face. L.A. was already – or should have been – embarrassed to escape with a two point win in L.A. on November 18th and then getting waxed a month later in George’s return to OKC. The Clippers redeemed themselves in March by putting Oklahoma City in a 15-point mudhole, so the Thunder should be – and likely are – motivated for this seeding finale.

Prediction: Oklahoma City will likely go no better than 5-3 in the seeding round, and even if they get bounced, their 2019-20 campaign can never be called a bust. They’ve proven a lot of people wrong all season long. No reason to stop now. The glass ceiling is theirs to break.

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Tracy Graven is a Senior NBA Analyst for BackSportsPage.com.
He has written the NBA, and done NBA radio, for the last two decades for HoopsWorld, Swish Magazine, and HoopsHype, the Coach Scott Fields Show and NBARadioShow.com, and is also tackling the NFL, NCAA, and will be pinch-hitting on some Major League Baseball coverage for BackSportsPage.
He’s spent 20 years in locker rooms in 

  • Orlando
  • Boise (G League) 
  • San Antonio
  • Phoenix
  • Denver
  • Oklahoma City
  • Atlanta 

A corporate trainer by day, he currently resides in SEC Country near Knoxville, Tennessee.
Reach him on Twitter at @RealTMoneyMedia

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