When the top two teams in the NBA square off, it’s expected to be a marquee event. Suffice it to say, Thursday’s matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers did not live up to the billing as OKC ran off to a 134-114 victory that wasn’t nearly as close as even that lopsided score would indicate.
It was one game. In January. Barely a week ago, the Cavs defeated the Thunder on their home floor in one of the best regular-season games you will ever see. On paper, all the Thunder did was return the favor on their home floor.
It felt like more than that, but still, on its own, you can only read so much into this result. However, as the latest bullet point on Oklahoma City’s 2024-25 resumé, it’s the freshest reminder that the Thunder are absolutely ready to win a title right now, and should be considered the favorite to do so.
Whether they will is another question. Who knows how injuries will play out. The Western Conference is a wood chipper. If the Celtics are healthy, they bring all the same things to the table that OKC does. But the Thunder are ready. Do not allow yourself to get caught up in the cliché “youth and inexperience” concern.
One playoff run was enough experience. The Thunder were a few possessions from making the conference finals last year, where I believe they would’ve taken out Minnesota. Even without a lick of experience, this was an honest Finals team last season, and it’s even better this year.
Let’s start with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who would almost certainly win MVP if the season ended today. He’s the best player and most reliable source of individual offensive creation on any of the top teams — OKC, Boston and Cleveland. On Thursday, SGA went for 40 points and eight assists in 29 minutes. He outscored the Cavs by himself in the first quarter (15-14) and didn’t even need to play the fourth.
Now let’s talk about defense. Last year’s Timberwolves were legitimately being talked about as one of the best defensive teams ever. This year’s Thunder are giving up almost five fewer points per 100 possessions, which is a massive gulf.
Oklahoma City is a turnover-creating factory with its platoon of long, athletic, physical and aggressive wing defenders. They forced the Cavs into 21 turnovers on Thursday, resulting in 30 points for a 23-point margin in that column. They held Donovan Mitchell to eight points.
“It felt like seven pit bulls out there — not five — seven,” Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said of the OKC defense after Thursday’s loss. “They were clawing and scratching and reaching, in a good sense. Their speed and athleticism, they kind of toppled us over. And that’s their calling card, that’s their identity. They’ve done it to a lot of teams.”
Over these last two OKC-Cleveland matchups, in fact, Mitchell has missed 25 of his 31 shots. The Thunder have no fewer than five guys who can make life a living hell on a scorer of Mitchell’s caliber: SGA, Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, Lu Dort and Alex Caruso. Aaron Wiggins is no picnic, either. Behind all that, eventually, will be arguably the second-best rim protector in the world in Chet Holmgren.
Did somebody mention Holmgren? Indeed, the Thunder did this to Cleveland without Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, who was out with a calf injury. Playing without a center against a team that starts Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley should be, on paper, a death sentence. But OKC can go small with guys capable of guarding above their weight class (Williams, Caruso) and cause all kinds of problems.
The two-way versatility and depth of this team is off the charts. In the regular season, that alone is going to take you a long way. When you also have the likely MVP, well, you end up with what would, if the season ended today, go down as the best scoring differential in NBA history.
Point differential has historically been a better indicator of championship merit than anything else, as evidenced by the fact that only three of the teams on that list above failed to win the title.
Again, it’s impossible to say whether the Thunder will become the fourth to fall short or the 10th to punctuate a historic point differential with a title. But as of Jan. 16, 2025, the night they dismantled Cleveland, they have earned and deserve the distinction of title favorite.
Read the full article here