When the two best teams in the NBA face each other, it is expected to be a landmark event. Suffice it to say that Thursday’s match between the Oklahoma City Thunder And Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t live up to the hype as OKC pulled out a 134-114 victory that wasn’t as close as even that lopsided score would indicate.
It was a match. In January. Just a week ago, the Cavs beat the Thunder at home in one of the best regular season games you’ll ever see. On paper, all the Thunder did was return the favor at home.
It seemed like more than that, but still, on its own, you can’t read much into this result. However, as the latest item on Oklahoma City’s resume for 2024-25, it’s the latest reminder that the Thunder are absolutely ready to win a title. right awayand should be considered the favorite to do so.
Whether they will is another question. Who knows how the injuries will play out. The Western Conference is a wood chipper. If the Celtics are healthy, they bring the same things as OKC. But the Thunder are ready. Don’t get caught up in the cliché of “youth and inexperience.”
One playoff run was enough to gain experience. The Thunder were a few possessions away from advancing to the conference finals last year, where I think they would have eliminated Minnesota. Even without a minimum of experience, they were an honest team in the final last season, and it’s even better this year.
Let’s start with Shai Gilgeous-Alexanderwho would do almost certainly win MVP if the season ended today. He is the best player and most reliable source of individual offensive creation on all the best teams – OKC, Boston and Cleveland. On Thursday, SGA had 40 points and eight assists in 29 minutes. He dominated the Cavs alone in the first quarter (15-14) and did not even need to play the fourth.
Now let’s talk about defense. Last year Timber wolves were rightfully considered one of the best defensive teams of all time. This year, the Thunder are giving up almost five fewer points per 100 possessions, which is a huge gap.
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, giving them 30 points for a 23-point margin in this column. They held Donovan Mitchell at eight points.
“It was like seven pit bulls — not five — seven,” Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said of OKC’s defense after Thursday’s loss. “They were clawing and scratching and reaching, in a good way. Their speed and athleticism kind of blew us away. And it’s their business card, it’s their identity. They did it to a lot of teams.
In these last two OKC-Cleveland matchups, in fact, Mitchell has missed 25 of his 31 shots. The Thunder have no less than five guys who can make life hell on a scorer of Mitchell’s caliber: SGA, Jalen Williams, Cason WallaceLu Dort and Alex Caruso. Aaron Wiggins it’s not a picnic either. Behind all this, in the long term, will undoubtedly be the second best rim protector in the world in Chet Holmgren.
Did anyone mention Holmgren? Indeed, the Thunder did this to Cleveland without Holmgren And Isaiah Hartensteinwho was injured in the calf. Playing without a center against a team that is starting Jarrett Allen And Evan Mobley should be, on paper, a death sentence. But OKC can go small with guys who can guard 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 will get you far. When you also have the likely MVP, well, you end up with what, if the season ended today, would be considered the best scoring differential in NBA history.
Point differential has always been a better indicator of championship merit than anything else, as evidenced by the fact that only three of the teams on the list above failed to win the title.
Once again, it’s impossible to say whether the Thunder will become the fourth to fail or the 10th to punctuate a historic point differential with a title. But since January 16, 2025, the night they dismantled Cleveland, they have earned and deserve the distinction of title favorite.