The Oklahoma City Thunder were always going to make the playoffs, right? Even after they started the season 4-12 without Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the eighth and final playoff spot was within grasp. But it wasn't supposed to happen this quickly.
Have the Thunder already wrapped up the West playoff race?
Oklahoma City took a 1.5-game lead for the eighth spot in the West. With Phoenix picking up the pieces after the trade deadline and New Orleans struggling through injuries, is the race already over?
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Now with a 1.5-game cushion over the Phoenix Suns -- and two games on the New Orleans Pelicans -- for that precious eighth seed, the Thunder are ready to pull away. Not only are the Thunder finally clicking and playing their best basketball of the year, but the Suns took a step back after the trade deadline and the injury bug that plagued the Thunder early currently has a stranglehold on the Pelicans.
It took 38 games for the Thunder to climb into the playoffs. They’re not dropping out any time soon.
The Thunder are finally playing like the Thunder
Since Westbrook returned to the court Nov. 28, the Thunder are 26-13. Their net rating of +4.9 is fourth best in the league in that period, behind only the Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Clippers. The Thunder have not been without their struggles in that time -- at one point they dropped four out of five games to fall to 23-24 -- but are hitting their stride post All-Star break.
Westbrook is having a career year, averaging 26.2 points, 7.7 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game. It's the first season he's averaged more than 24 points per game, and the Thunder have needed it with Durant on the bench so much. Westbrook is single-handedly winning them games and putting up insane stat lines weekly -- he had 33 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in Saturday's win over the Charlotte Hornets.
Even though Durant has played only 27 games this season, he’s still one of the best players in the league. He’s averaging 25.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while playing angry and giving the Thunder an edginess that is coming in handy in tight games.
The trade deadline was kind to the Thunder. They got rid of an unhappy Reggie Jackson while adding valuable pieces to give them incredible depth. Enes Kanter was the biggest pickup, giving the Thunder much needed help on the block. They also acquired D.J. Augustin, Kyle Singler and Steve Novak -- all guys who can score in bunches off the the bench.
They’re currently in the midst of a five-game winning streak, their second longest of the season, and are looking better and better. Meanwhile, their two biggest competitors for the final playoff spot are sputtering forward.
The new-look Suns need time, but they don’t have it
Phoenix has lost seven of eight games, a mirror image of the Thunders' seven wins in its last eight. Plus, the Suns have a brand new team. After the insanity of the trade deadline, the Suns lost Goran Dragic, his brother Zoran, Isaiah Thomas, Miles Plumlee and Tyler Ennis and added Brandon Knight, Kendall Marshall, John Salmons, Justin Hamilton, Danny Granger, and draft picks. (See all of the trade deadline action here.) The Suns are a completely new team -- not necessarily something you want when you're in the middle of a playoff race. They didn't have much of a choice after Dragic demanded a trade, but Suns general manager Ryan McDonough said he didn't trade away his best player in Dragic, citing that Eric Bledsoe and Markieff Morris were still Suns.
The first game with the new lineup was a loss to the Bulls. They kept it close and played sharp basketball at points, but Knight and Bledsoe are going to have to figure out how to share time on the court -- just like Dragic and Thomas did. Plus, Morris didn't have the kind of performance his GM expected, shooting just 3-of-15 from the field in the loss. Sadly for the Suns, they don't have time to figure things out on the fly, the Thunder aren't waiting around.
Injuries are ruining the NBA and the Pelicans
If there's one silver lining to Anthony Davis getting injured, it's that it reminds you that he is human; not some deity without fault. However, if he continues to struggle with a shoulder injury, the Pelicans don't stand much of a chance. Davis is not only averaging 23.9 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game, but he's winning games on his own when he has to and is one of the most clutch players in the league. The Pelicans have net rating of +4.5 when Davis is on the court. When he's off, it's -8.4. It's clear how much he's needed.
On top of Davis, Ryan Anderson left Saturday's game with a knee sprain. After missing all of last season, he has played 51 of the team's 55 games this season, scoring 14.8 points and shooting 41 percent from the field. Those numbers aren't eye-opening, but Anderson is a valuable cog in the Pelicans' offense.
Even with the injuries Saturday, the Pelicans did win against the Miami Heat to halt a four-game losing streak. At 28-27, they've hovered around .500 most of the season. That isn't going to cut it if they want to hang with the Thunder.
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Oklahoma City is in the driver seat now. It's a position they've wanted to be in all season. Now, the excitement for a possible seven-game series with the Warriors can start building -- unless they pass the Spurs for the seventh seed, the Thunder are only four games back.
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