At first in the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been one of the best stories in the West this season. They boast the best record in the league at 63-12, but one former NBA point guard says that he’s still not sold on the organization as true contenders in the West.
“The league has changed. Half of the teams are tanking. So let me know if I should be impressed. If we just wanna sit here and look at the stat sheet and start comparing, alright, I’ll do that, if that’s what you want to do. Half of the teams are tanking. I respect what (the Thunder) have done, I respect the players. However, here’s the era where it is what it is. We’re fining teams for not playing their players. I don’t recall that happening a few years ago.”
The Thunder are set to lead the West standings for the second straight year, only this time their record is even better. Led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams, they are dominating the competition and are projected to be competing for championships for the next 10 years.
As winners of 10 straight games, the Thunder are going into the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the league, and they have been tapped as the favorites to come out of the West. Even so, the NBA is different than what it used to be, and many ex-players have taken a critical approach to the modern evolution of the game.
In the case of former Bulls guard B.J. Armstrong, who played with Michael Jordan for years and won three championships while averaging 9.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game on 44.6% shooting. He played during one of the league’s most competitive eras, when load management and player empowerment were still foreign concepts.
Over the years, Armstrong has been one of the most vocal critics of today’s game. He once called players “robots,” and now he’s calling out teams for their blatantly tanking. Apparently, the league just isn’t as competitive as it used to be, and winning 63 games doesn’t mean as much as it used to.
This season, various NBA franchises have shut down their star players, including the Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans, and the Dallas Mavericks. Other teams have been practicing “load management” with their players, including the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets, who have benched half of their lineup in several games this season.
By these standards, you could make the case that good teams winning a lot of games is easier than it’s ever been, but you can’t discredit the Thunder for making the most of their situation.
In perhaps the deepest season ever for the West, the Thunder have the best record in the league with a 14.5-game lead for the number one seed. Their players are available for almost every game, and they always give their maximum effort on the court.
For the Thunder to prove themselves as a serious NBA playoff team, they still need to make a run and secure their first championship. Only then will the Thunder start to get the respect they deserve, but it still might not be enough to win over the hardest critics.
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