For the first NBA competition on ESPN since the conclusion of the All-Star Break, prime time cameras will go live from the rural city of Oklahoma as the sixth-seeded Thunder attempt to defend Loud City against the second-best team in the West, the 38-22 Denver Nuggets, live at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Coming into this one, both teams have undergone a seismic transformation into playoff contenders that surely didn’t happen overnight. Oklahoma City was dealt with the hand of reality that involved starting anew without Russell Westbrook for the first time in franchise history as they entered an uncharted zone of the rebuilding process, and for the first time as outsiders of the playoff hunt. This year, however, has been nothing nearly equivalent to that batch of early-season divinations.
As the sixth-best team in an unforgiving conference that is the West, this Thunder team has clawed, scratched, and fought with grit en lieu to their 33-22 record. And astonishing as that record sounds, it’s justified the same way on the court. Danilo Gallinari is sniping the three-ball at a 40.7 percent clip, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (19.5 ppg.) is worthy of being trusted as the Thunder franchise cornerpiece of the near and ever-present future, Steven Adams is still impossible to box-out and out-rebound, and the ageless wonder Chris Paul (17.4 ppg.) can still ball.
Frankly, it was not supposed to be this way, and Thunder fans can attest to that. After undergoing that tectonic shift of emotions that regarded the selling of Paul George to the Goliathic Clippers OKC started their fire sale after acquiring a wheelbarrow of picks this past Summer as a result of the trade, which kickstarted the campaign to get brand new pieces and reshape the entire philosophy of the organization, which many speculated would take years.
Now, with less than three full months of regular-season competition, OKC is in a tight throttle with Dallas for the sixth seed, but that’s not the point. The fact is that, they’re in the conversation of sliding into the playoff picture without hassle for another year, and all they did was rid themselves of two (three, if you count Carmelo Anthony) All-Stars in a matter of a couple of seasons.
Tonight, Denver’s first task out of the break is no easy, kind-of-welcome-back-to-NBA-action type of affair. They find themselves playing a division rival on the road Oklahoma City after resting up and getting all of their players healthy, and since both teams will be on the positive side of the injury spectrum, intriguing matchups like Jamal Murray vs. Chris Paul, SGA vs. Gary Harris, and Steven Adams vs. Nikola Jokic will all go down tonight in the first of two ESPN games on Friday night.
Recent Comments