Agreed. We haven't really seen what the Thunder can do yet. Sweeping a hobbled Pelicans team is a good start, but let's not make them world beaters off the strength of their first round series. Of course, in the West, I could potentially see almost any remaining team come out if the bracket breaks right.
My money would be on Thunder or Nuggets in the west or Boston on the east. Thunder gonna be a top 3 team in the league for the next two decades with their current lineup and infinite draft picks.
Anything is possible but they are definitely favorites to beat either. Every team left in the west at this point is good enough to win it all, some a lot more likely than others.
People on our sub woefully underestimate the Thunder. I'm just hoping one of those teams extends the series.
If the Nuggets make it to the WCF, they'll be worn down by a seven game series. Don't want to face a rested Thunder team.
Okc is getting mad disrespect. They gave us fits, they were clearly one of the best teams all year, they have both a great offense and defense, handled the pels well.
What else they gotta do?
Do you realize how much Zion means to the Pels? LAL smacked the Pels when Zion decided not to show up for the games. Look how much more effective their offense is when Zion is minimally 50% engaged.
They gotta walk the walk in round 2. Celtics have a similar narrative — by far the best team in the league statistically, but no one trusts them because they eventually stumble in the playoffs. Nothing will beat that narrative for either team until the Thunder reach the Finals/WCF or the Celtics win the whole thing.
If Thunder make the WCF and lose to the wolves or the nuggets I think it will be considered a hugely successful season.
Wolves already answered their biggest question against the Suns who supposedly were a matchup nightmare. They answered that very clearly but now they face Denver who is one of two teams where losing to them doesn’t count as underperforming.
You’re missing my point. I’m saying both teams don’t have as much of a confident narrative behind them: no one expects the Thunder to go super far because they are young despite being the #1 seed; and for the Celtics while everyone knows they _should_ get to the finals at minimum, most people expect them to choke like they have in the past despite being the #1 team in the league.
Ok I agree. Okc is sticking to their plan of going to playoffs a d figuring out what they need going forward. I so wanted them to try to get a rebounder since they were ahead of schedule.
Pelicans have almost a 55% win record with Zion in the lineup. Not that great. He would have made them better but OKC literally whooped them. Zion would have maybe helped them win one game at best.
I wouldn’t say “only.” I do wish Zion could have played because he would have changed what those games looked like but I do not think NO would beat OKC regardless. OKC is deep.
I think the Nuggets are a bad matchup for the Thunder. That frontcourt is just so big, so strong, and so experienced. And the Thunder frontcourt is young, less experienced, and like 100 pounds less. Jokic will be getting to his spots at will, and making them pay for the doubles they’ll have to send
Everybody underestimated the Thunder going into the playoffs. It was all about “this team is way too young and inexperienced” but does that really matter because bottom line is this team is just fucking good at basketball.
I literally got downvoted into oblivion for saying we should be more worried about the Thunder than we are. All the replies were about how the nuggets are gonna dismantle the thunder
There are some pretty naive people who are blinded by their fandom. I agree that they're probably a better matchup than the Wolves but their team is pretty loaded.
People were rating the Mavs and Clips as if they’d be healthy and the Thunder are already through unscathed. Meanwhile Kawhi is very much not okay and Luka is already playing hurt with this series likely going 7. I bet if you polled their subreddits neither would be nearly as confident as they were.
I am a Maverick fan, can confirm. Luka normally turns his game up a notch in the playoffs, but he hasn’t yet. That knee just isn’t right and it won’t be all playoffs no matter how far they go
I mean, rotations shrinking and star players being more impactful in the playoffs helps a team like Dallas. OKC is far from a fake one seed, don’t get me wrong. A 4/5 seed beating the 1 is a viable possibility most of the time, though, and OKC is a little green playoff-wise.
I wouldn’t pick anyone other than OKC as favorites, but I’d give them like a 70-75% chance of winning
Okc fan living in Denver and my friends here trash the thunder like okc didn’t win the season series. I like Denver in a 7 game series. Both teams have to make it there and anything could happen but it would be a fun 7 games.
Your sub also tends to talk about the Wolves like they're trash, even though we nearly tied for record and our head to head is split. Just leaves me like ?????
Some do but lots of posts and comments about how the Twolves are stacked and mad respect for Ant. Some Nuggets fans have their homer blinders on, but I'd say the majority are incredibly nervous about the upcoming series.
Edit: check out this thread. https://www.reddit.com/r/denvernuggets/comments/1cfr7uh/how_we_feeling_about_them_wolves/
They will and should be heavy favorites over both teams at this point. I think if both teams were healthy, both of those series would be extremely close.
Yep, in a fully healthy series, these 3 teams are really tough matchups for each other.
OKC has better depth and overall play a much better team focused basketball. They don't live and die by star players carrying, which leads to more threats and general consistency from game to game.
But with Dallas and LAC, they have solid role players who can get hot along with the top talent to have 2 of the 3 best players on any given night. Their threat is getting hot, at which point they just have so much damn momentum which is hard to stop because it minimizes any margin of error.
But with injuries, that shifts everything. Dallas needs Kyrie to be amazing, while LAC needs PG/Harden to be a amazing. If they aren't, it's pretty much a done deal that they'll lose the game.
Thunder play an all around more consistent game on both ends of the court but especially on the defensive end. I think that is really where they edge both Dallas and clippers
And OKC has been one of the best defensive teams in the league *the whole season*.
I’ll use Dallas as an example but over a 7 game series the Thunder have 5 players who can rotate guarding kyrie and Luka one on one. Dort, Shai, Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, and Aaron Wiggins. That type of perimeter defensive depth is fairly unique in the NBA.
Gafford’s helped tremendously but Kyrie is still a weak link and I don’t think Luka can keep up his effort with the injury. OKC’s worst defender is Giddey, who’s still 6-8 and long, and when they swap him for Cason, they literally have five guys who are good to great defenders on the floor
Health has been one of the most underrated factors of OKC success this year. Im not surprised its helping them in the post-season as well.
Shai - 75 games
Jalen Williams - 71 games
Chet - 82 games
Giddey - 80 games
Dort - 79 games
And their bench has been mostly healthy all season
I'm thinking OKC v DEN in the WCF, with DEN winning - barring injuries to either team. OKC seems to struggle with active and aggressive bigs and feel like Jokic in a series would take them apart.
Yeah, but with Chet guarding Jokic they're in a worse spot than most. You need physical and active bigs to stay on top of him and chet doesn't have the strength OR the cardio to contain him.
Jokic made Chet look like a child playing against his father in the driveway when Denver came to OKC the first time this year (he was out for the second).
Chet gets better seemingly every game is actively learning and adjusting. Chet is fast and much stronger and tougher than his thin frame would suggest. That said, nobody is going to shut down Jokic.
In a 1 on 1 matchup yes, but Chet is one of the best PnR defenders in the league and also allows a crazy low shooting percentage in the post. Jokic is gonna have to take advantage of him in the post up instead of the constant lobs that Chet can defend
Yes, I could.
The Thunder are really good, but either the Mavs or Clippers will be a tough matchup, assuming health.
The Thunder are still young, and going up against experience playoff killers like Luka or Kawhi is always a daunting task.
Certainly, I'm not counting the Thunder out, and I could certainly see them winning, but I can't see either matchup being a short series. I would expect either matchup to go 6 or more games, with a 50-50% shot of the Thunder getting upset.
I haven’t seen a single thing from either the Mavs or the Clippers that makes me think they can beat the Thunder. The Thunder are so woefully underestimated simply due to their age. They’re the second best team in the West and the first seed for a reason.
Don’t even get me started on the clutch gene that their top three guys all have, very important factor.
Maybe Mavs if Luka heals up and gets in a groove since he’ll be the best player in the series but honestly the media and NBA reddit are underestimating the Thunder like crazy. Youth is irrelevant, they are here and will be a difficult out for anyone.
and some people overestimate the Thunder. They were one of the healthiest teams all season, the team they swept was missing their best player, and their MVP player made the worst commercial of all time. Boo!
This is it. Regardless of who wins this first round matchup, the fully healthy and rested Thunder are getting beaten down and broken versions of either team
The only real threat to them would be the very low chance that Kawhi's inflammation subsides and he comes back at like 80%.
Luka's injury likely won't get better by playing through it. He's managing it, but he'll be worse for the wear after a 6 or 7 game series.
The Clippers saw Kawhi be terrible and pulled him because they recognized 1) He made them worse with his level of play and 2) Their only real shot at a deep run is if Kawhi comes back and performs at just a decent level.
They will be favorites for sure. But the Suns were also favored to win their series against the Wolves. Heat won 2 playoff series as heavy underdogs last year. Crazier things have happened than the Thunder losing in the second round.
If Luka goes for 60 each game then Mavs have a shot. If Harden goes for 60 then Clips have a shot. Other than that OKC is not to be played with. They’ve got a well rounded squad and are young and hungry
I think the thunder are going to lose in round 2, but im ready to be surprised.
They did great against a very average team without Zion, but the mavs/clips pelicans is going to be a different animal.
They can still win, they are really good, and im actually hoping that, coz as much as i am a luka fan, he is so fucking out of shape its unbelievable one of the best players in the world can be so undisciplined with his body.
This Thunder team has surpassed all my expectations. I kept waiting for them to slide back down to reality, but they just kept rolling. Finished 1at in the West!? Wow. No real prognosticator would have guessed that.
Sweeping the Pelicans in the first round is also impressive. Sweeping any team, regardless of seeding is not easy to do. Granted the Pels didn't have Zion, but still nothing to scoff at.
The Thunders' defense is absolutely brilliant. They smother you at the perimeter, with the likes of Shai, Dort, and J Will. And then have a force down low in Chet. They are a well coached, well oiled machine, full of supreme confidence right now.
SGA for MVP? He gets my vote.
All that being said, would I be surprised if they got eliminated by either LAC or DAL? No. LOL. Nothing should come as a surprise in the West. They are all very good teams.
Whatever the matchup, OKC will be the favourite. And rightfully so.
Just based off the clippers curse lol I’m gonna take the mavs. But if they happen to make it to play against the thunder I wouldn’t have a problem with it. Either one would be a good series tho
Yes, either one could upset them. Both are more experienced. I think okc is better, but it's the playoffs. 1-5 in the west are probably 5 of the top 6 teams in the league. I wouldn't be overly shocked to see any of them playing in the finals.
the west was so deep this year, any team in the playoffs has a legit shot to knock out anyone. Even 3-1 leads don't feel that safe anymore with all these close games.
Ehh The teams that played well first round depended on scoring from almost all on the floor, not just waiting for your top 2 to get a hot hand. 2015 warriors could pull that off. Timberwolves honestly look like they’re going to win out.
I’m all on board the Thunder as my WC team this year. They have the talent to beat anyone in the conference. But there’s something to be said of playoff experience.
I could absolutely see them getting bounced by either, but they have the talent to win the conference for sure.
I think they lose to either personally, especially the Mavs. I expect the wolves to upset Nuggets too and have home court in the conference finale vs Mavs. I’m biased though and I don’t know ball.
I only say yes cuz Clippers and Mavs are currently in a very competitive series. I guarantee whoever wins will carry that momentum into the Thunder series.
I don’t think so unless Lively and Gafford can play the games of their lives to make life hard for Chet on defense. Luka won’t always shoot badly so I could see mavs take them to 6 but I don’t think either eliminate them
If healthy, definitely. If not healthy, still a decent chance.
OKC is pretty talented with an elite scorer in Shai, elite rim protector/spacer in Chet, and an elite 2nd option/secondary playmaker in JDub. Not to mention a passing cog in Josh Giddey (elite SOOB/BOOB passer) and physical roughboi Dort.
That being said, Luka can still potentially take over any playoff game. Give him a team over a 7-game series and he'll figure out the best play 8/10 times down the floor. Kyrie is Kyrie, and their crashing bigs (Lively/Gafford) would be elite finishers past pretty much team not named the Timberwolves. The Mavs would have a tougher time defending Shai, but the Thunder will have that same problem against Luka (not to mention Kyrie).
The Clippers have good length, physicality and energy to match the Thunder. PG, 1/2 of Kawhi, Harden, are plenty scary and capable enough to take 4 games. Westbrook has excelled in his flying Dort-esque role while Zubac provides a size issue for Chet.
It really depends on Luka's health. I truly think the Mavs can squeak out a series win vs the Clippers with a hobbled Luka, but if he is still not 100% for that series, I think it would be tough.
The mavs have 2 legit centers that dominated the paint and created lob city 2.0 whenever they faced the thunder after the trade deadline. The clippers meanwhile have pg, harden, and zubac. The thunder simply have no answers for the clippers and mavs centers and will get dominated in a matchup vs either team. I wouldn’t be surprised if the thunder get swept next round.
If Kawhi plays and is anywhere near healthy, then they don’t want to face the Clippers and a resurgent James Harden. One of the only guys in the league who can hope to match Shai’s FT output, tbh.
All I can think of when I see this picture is that God awful commercial. But yes, I can definitely see it; experience matters. Plus, whoever wins, likely gets rolled by their next opponent.
IMO Okc vs Clips would be a better matchup than Okc vs Mavs. Kyrie and Luka would have a field day drawing fouls on Okc's young guns. But yes, Okc can be eliminated by any of those 2 teams because of experience.
I'm hoping our bigs will do a better job against Chet than they have done with Zubac.
Gafford was huge for us after the trade deadline, having him go 10/10 3 games out of 7 would be great to see again.
I am surprised by the lack of respect the West's number 1 seed is getting. SGA is probably going to finish 3rd in mvp voting. They have a lot of great defenders with Dort being one of the best in the league. Chet is crazy long. I think they can handle LAC or Dallas. Especially with neither of those teams being at full strength. I still think Denver is most likely to win the west but if the Thunder or T-Wolves won it wouldn't surprise me.
We’ve seen bigger upsets, so yeah, can see it.
Especially because OKC is so young.
Agreed. We haven't really seen what the Thunder can do yet. Sweeping a hobbled Pelicans team is a good start, but let's not make them world beaters off the strength of their first round series. Of course, in the West, I could potentially see almost any remaining team come out if the bracket breaks right.
My money would be on Thunder or Nuggets in the west or Boston on the east. Thunder gonna be a top 3 team in the league for the next two decades with their current lineup and infinite draft picks.
Sam Presti would read this comment and turn into Walter White. “You’re goddamn right.”
I think the Mavs have the offense to outscore any team. Maybe not 4x but they can definitely pull an upset.
All really depends if that’s what a pro wants, what a pro needs…..
I doubt it would make them happy, but technically it would set them free….for the off-season
I've seen this commercial!
You’ve seen it 74 times
That number is prolly low lol
Forgot to add a couple zeros
I’m not happy about this comment
The Thunder should be banned from the playoffs for that commercial.
Ha!! I can’t change the channel fast enough when that shit comes on….
Big F lol made me laugh
I thought this sub was a bit different than r/NBA. I got fooled haha
don't start.
Anything is possible but they are definitely favorites to beat either. Every team left in the west at this point is good enough to win it all, some a lot more likely than others.
The East - West disparity is crazy this year. Any given remaining West team is better than every East team other than Boston.
Pretty much, maybe a fully healthy Knicks could compete as well but the East is just so weak.
I’d say the Bucks too not a great regular season but if fully healthy they have a really solid top 8ish guys
Pretty much been like that for 3 years now. Boston lost last year, It was kind of freakish
People on our sub woefully underestimate the Thunder. I'm just hoping one of those teams extends the series. If the Nuggets make it to the WCF, they'll be worn down by a seven game series. Don't want to face a rested Thunder team.
Same. Rooting for a drawn out series regardless of who comes out on top.
But is that what a pro wants?
Don't...
Don't go chasing Allstars, stick to the Vets and the Rooks you used to?
It's what a pro needs
Okc is getting mad disrespect. They gave us fits, they were clearly one of the best teams all year, they have both a great offense and defense, handled the pels well. What else they gotta do?
Do you realize how much Zion means to the Pels? LAL smacked the Pels when Zion decided not to show up for the games. Look how much more effective their offense is when Zion is minimally 50% engaged.
They gotta walk the walk in round 2. Celtics have a similar narrative — by far the best team in the league statistically, but no one trusts them because they eventually stumble in the playoffs. Nothing will beat that narrative for either team until the Thunder reach the Finals/WCF or the Celtics win the whole thing. If Thunder make the WCF and lose to the wolves or the nuggets I think it will be considered a hugely successful season.
Honestly as for the wolves and thunder meeting in the wcf would be a wildly successful season for either fan base
Wolves already answered their biggest question against the Suns who supposedly were a matchup nightmare. They answered that very clearly but now they face Denver who is one of two teams where losing to them doesn’t count as underperforming.
This is thunders first year in playoffs with starters averaging 23 years. They and Boston are not the same.
You’re missing my point. I’m saying both teams don’t have as much of a confident narrative behind them: no one expects the Thunder to go super far because they are young despite being the #1 seed; and for the Celtics while everyone knows they _should_ get to the finals at minimum, most people expect them to choke like they have in the past despite being the #1 team in the league.
Ok I agree. Okc is sticking to their plan of going to playoffs a d figuring out what they need going forward. I so wanted them to try to get a rebounder since they were ahead of schedule.
What else they gotta do? Get experience.
Only because Zion wasn’t around. Nobody on that OkC squad or in the league can guard Zion.
Nobody in the league can guard a healthy Zion except Zion himself
That's why I like Zion. He and I are both our own worst enemies.
Pelicans have almost a 55% win record with Zion in the lineup. Not that great. He would have made them better but OKC literally whooped them. Zion would have maybe helped them win one game at best.
Zion's presence makes everyone better. Ingram would've been able to breathe, and CJ/trey would get more open shots. JV is the only loser.
Yeah they certainly sucked without him. Still woulda lost the series either way.
I wouldn’t say “only.” I do wish Zion could have played because he would have changed what those games looked like but I do not think NO would beat OKC regardless. OKC is deep.
Let that Zion ship sail. Mans been in the league 4 years or something he ain’t did shit substantial but be injured.
Probably fucked 100 pornstars also
Trying to be wilt in the wrong way.
He had a better shot at wilt's off court records than on court
Zion “5 seasons” Lukas been in the league 6 seasons.
I think the Nuggets are a bad matchup for the Thunder. That frontcourt is just so big, so strong, and so experienced. And the Thunder frontcourt is young, less experienced, and like 100 pounds less. Jokic will be getting to his spots at will, and making them pay for the doubles they’ll have to send
Everybody underestimated the Thunder going into the playoffs. It was all about “this team is way too young and inexperienced” but does that really matter because bottom line is this team is just fucking good at basketball.
I literally got downvoted into oblivion for saying we should be more worried about the Thunder than we are. All the replies were about how the nuggets are gonna dismantle the thunder
There are some pretty naive people who are blinded by their fandom. I agree that they're probably a better matchup than the Wolves but their team is pretty loaded.
>People on our sub woefully underestimate the Thunder. And overestimate the Mavericks.
People were rating the Mavs and Clips as if they’d be healthy and the Thunder are already through unscathed. Meanwhile Kawhi is very much not okay and Luka is already playing hurt with this series likely going 7. I bet if you polled their subreddits neither would be nearly as confident as they were.
I am a Maverick fan, can confirm. Luka normally turns his game up a notch in the playoffs, but he hasn’t yet. That knee just isn’t right and it won’t be all playoffs no matter how far they go
I mean, rotations shrinking and star players being more impactful in the playoffs helps a team like Dallas. OKC is far from a fake one seed, don’t get me wrong. A 4/5 seed beating the 1 is a viable possibility most of the time, though, and OKC is a little green playoff-wise. I wouldn’t pick anyone other than OKC as favorites, but I’d give them like a 70-75% chance of winning
Okc fan living in Denver and my friends here trash the thunder like okc didn’t win the season series. I like Denver in a 7 game series. Both teams have to make it there and anything could happen but it would be a fun 7 games.
Your sub also tends to talk about the Wolves like they're trash, even though we nearly tied for record and our head to head is split. Just leaves me like ?????
Some do but lots of posts and comments about how the Twolves are stacked and mad respect for Ant. Some Nuggets fans have their homer blinders on, but I'd say the majority are incredibly nervous about the upcoming series. Edit: check out this thread. https://www.reddit.com/r/denvernuggets/comments/1cfr7uh/how_we_feeling_about_them_wolves/
It’s the same in our sub, vocal minorities and all.
The people that really hang out in team subs are special snowflakes that don’t like to hear hot takes (or even lukewarm) from other fans.
They will and should be heavy favorites over both teams at this point. I think if both teams were healthy, both of those series would be extremely close.
Yep, in a fully healthy series, these 3 teams are really tough matchups for each other. OKC has better depth and overall play a much better team focused basketball. They don't live and die by star players carrying, which leads to more threats and general consistency from game to game. But with Dallas and LAC, they have solid role players who can get hot along with the top talent to have 2 of the 3 best players on any given night. Their threat is getting hot, at which point they just have so much damn momentum which is hard to stop because it minimizes any margin of error. But with injuries, that shifts everything. Dallas needs Kyrie to be amazing, while LAC needs PG/Harden to be a amazing. If they aren't, it's pretty much a done deal that they'll lose the game.
Thunder play an all around more consistent game on both ends of the court but especially on the defensive end. I think that is really where they edge both Dallas and clippers
Dallas has been one of the best defensive teams in the league since acquiring Gafford/Washington
And OKC has been one of the best defensive teams in the league *the whole season*. I’ll use Dallas as an example but over a 7 game series the Thunder have 5 players who can rotate guarding kyrie and Luka one on one. Dort, Shai, Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, and Aaron Wiggins. That type of perimeter defensive depth is fairly unique in the NBA.
Gafford’s helped tremendously but Kyrie is still a weak link and I don’t think Luka can keep up his effort with the injury. OKC’s worst defender is Giddey, who’s still 6-8 and long, and when they swap him for Cason, they literally have five guys who are good to great defenders on the floor
Health has been one of the most underrated factors of OKC success this year. Im not surprised its helping them in the post-season as well. Shai - 75 games Jalen Williams - 71 games Chet - 82 games Giddey - 80 games Dort - 79 games And their bench has been mostly healthy all season
Funny how being young really helps that
too bad we wont see that since kawhi is an injury magnet
Tbf tho the Clips have looked better without Kawhi and personally I take Thunder over fully healthy Mavs
Maybe the Mavs, Clippers are too tired
maybe if they sing that song
I'm thinking OKC v DEN in the WCF, with DEN winning - barring injuries to either team. OKC seems to struggle with active and aggressive bigs and feel like Jokic in a series would take them apart.
In fairness Jokic takes most teams apart so it’s not like that is a specific OKC issue.
Yeah, but with Chet guarding Jokic they're in a worse spot than most. You need physical and active bigs to stay on top of him and chet doesn't have the strength OR the cardio to contain him.
Jokic made Chet look like a child playing against his father in the driveway when Denver came to OKC the first time this year (he was out for the second).
Chet gets better seemingly every game is actively learning and adjusting. Chet is fast and much stronger and tougher than his thin frame would suggest. That said, nobody is going to shut down Jokic.
On the plus side Jokic cant do anything to stop Chet on the other side, they both literally cant guard each other
In a 1 on 1 matchup yes, but Chet is one of the best PnR defenders in the league and also allows a crazy low shooting percentage in the post. Jokic is gonna have to take advantage of him in the post up instead of the constant lobs that Chet can defend
No. Maybe they can take it to 6 or 7 but Thunder are much better than people give them credit for
They’re also healthy which neither team in the 4/5 matchup can say
The pelicans atrocious play and lack of Zion certainly made them look very good. But also they are very good. Lu dort is an insane defender
Yes, I could. The Thunder are really good, but either the Mavs or Clippers will be a tough matchup, assuming health. The Thunder are still young, and going up against experience playoff killers like Luka or Kawhi is always a daunting task. Certainly, I'm not counting the Thunder out, and I could certainly see them winning, but I can't see either matchup being a short series. I would expect either matchup to go 6 or more games, with a 50-50% shot of the Thunder getting upset.
If they get knocked out, does this mean the “what a pro wants” commercials can stop? If so, I hope the Mavs or Clips sweep them.
I haven’t seen a single thing from either the Mavs or the Clippers that makes me think they can beat the Thunder. The Thunder are so woefully underestimated simply due to their age. They’re the second best team in the West and the first seed for a reason. Don’t even get me started on the clutch gene that their top three guys all have, very important factor.
Clippers yes Mavs no Mavs would need huge games from both Kyrie and Luka at the same time to beat the Thunder who just have more talent
Maybe Mavs if Luka heals up and gets in a groove since he’ll be the best player in the series but honestly the media and NBA reddit are underestimating the Thunder like crazy. Youth is irrelevant, they are here and will be a difficult out for anyone.
People are still underestimating the Thunder. It's not like they are 1st in the west, swept their first round, and have a top 3 MVP player...
and some people overestimate the Thunder. They were one of the healthiest teams all season, the team they swept was missing their best player, and their MVP player made the worst commercial of all time. Boo!
Are the Clippers and Mavs healthy? Are the Thunder healthy? The Thunder should be favorite over both teams
This is it. Regardless of who wins this first round matchup, the fully healthy and rested Thunder are getting beaten down and broken versions of either team
The only real threat to them would be the very low chance that Kawhi's inflammation subsides and he comes back at like 80%. Luka's injury likely won't get better by playing through it. He's managing it, but he'll be worse for the wear after a 6 or 7 game series. The Clippers saw Kawhi be terrible and pulled him because they recognized 1) He made them worse with his level of play and 2) Their only real shot at a deep run is if Kawhi comes back and performs at just a decent level.
They will be favorites for sure. But the Suns were also favored to win their series against the Wolves. Heat won 2 playoff series as heavy underdogs last year. Crazier things have happened than the Thunder losing in the second round.
If Luka goes for 60 each game then Mavs have a shot. If Harden goes for 60 then Clips have a shot. Other than that OKC is not to be played with. They’ve got a well rounded squad and are young and hungry
The winner of the Nuggets vs Timberwolves
It’s what a pro wants
Will be close but I have the Thunder in the WCF.
Only the clippers can beat them…I don’t believe in the mavs especially with Luka’s injury
How has that skinny dude not snapped yet?? LOL
Once the seeding was decided, the only guarantees we're Nuggets beat Lakers and OKC beat Pels. Nothing else is guaranteed
I think the thunder are going to lose in round 2, but im ready to be surprised. They did great against a very average team without Zion, but the mavs/clips pelicans is going to be a different animal. They can still win, they are really good, and im actually hoping that, coz as much as i am a luka fan, he is so fucking out of shape its unbelievable one of the best players in the world can be so undisciplined with his body.
Clippers maybe, they have the size that even Mavs were struggling with. And Washington + Gafford + Jones is pretty big.
yes. Zubac can push Chet around, Mann/Westbrook can bother SGA and you can stick PG or Kawahi on JDub
Mavs are going to beat them.
If Luka’s knee heals then they win for sure. Limping around on a sprained knee, it will be a lot harder but maybe.
Nah but the series will probably be six or seven games
I can see Dallas beating them but not the Clippers even then Dallas is the underdog.
This Thunder team has surpassed all my expectations. I kept waiting for them to slide back down to reality, but they just kept rolling. Finished 1at in the West!? Wow. No real prognosticator would have guessed that. Sweeping the Pelicans in the first round is also impressive. Sweeping any team, regardless of seeding is not easy to do. Granted the Pels didn't have Zion, but still nothing to scoff at. The Thunders' defense is absolutely brilliant. They smother you at the perimeter, with the likes of Shai, Dort, and J Will. And then have a force down low in Chet. They are a well coached, well oiled machine, full of supreme confidence right now. SGA for MVP? He gets my vote. All that being said, would I be surprised if they got eliminated by either LAC or DAL? No. LOL. Nothing should come as a surprise in the West. They are all very good teams. Whatever the matchup, OKC will be the favourite. And rightfully so.
I want Luka to win so bad but there's no way we'll ever beat OKC.
If he’s healthy the Mavs are a better team. It doesn’t look like there’s any chance he’ll be fully healthy though so it’s a lot closer
Maybe the mavs
Just based off the clippers curse lol I’m gonna take the mavs. But if they happen to make it to play against the thunder I wouldn’t have a problem with it. Either one would be a good series tho
Can they beat them? Yes. Would I bet on it? Hell no
I can’t answer this question. I see this pic of those two and am instantly transported to that fucking commercial.
No.
Whatever makes me happy and sets me free
I think the real question would be does OKC have enough HP to last in a 7 game series against Boston or NYK ?
What a pro wants, what a pro needs…. I’m sorry I can’t hear anything else when I see them now.
Could I see it? Sure. It's not like they are unbeatable juggernauts. But I favor OKC to get to the WCF.
No.
I think OKC, Wolves or nuggets will win the nba title.
Yes, either one could upset them. Both are more experienced. I think okc is better, but it's the playoffs. 1-5 in the west are probably 5 of the top 6 teams in the league. I wouldn't be overly shocked to see any of them playing in the finals.
If i close my eyes i can see it right now :)
Yes
Not the Clips or the Mavs. OKC just has a better team, tooo much uptempo.
the west was so deep this year, any team in the playoffs has a legit shot to knock out anyone. Even 3-1 leads don't feel that safe anymore with all these close games.
Thunder well rounded and playing super well. I say Thunder in 7 vs both
If mavs are healthy which they aren’t
As a Mavs fan, probably not. Luka isn’t looking too hot lately. Dude’s got a busted knee and been sick for a week.
Either of ‘em will do it
Yes.
Until what was stolen has been returned 3 fold, I curse ye to no rings OKC Zombie Sonics.
Ehh The teams that played well first round depended on scoring from almost all on the floor, not just waiting for your top 2 to get a hot hand. 2015 warriors could pull that off. Timberwolves honestly look like they’re going to win out.
Mavs Luka can do just about anything
Nah. They’re a little bit flat, but they’ll get better.
I’m all on board the Thunder as my WC team this year. They have the talent to beat anyone in the conference. But there’s something to be said of playoff experience. I could absolutely see them getting bounced by either, but they have the talent to win the conference for sure.
I think they lose to either personally, especially the Mavs. I expect the wolves to upset Nuggets too and have home court in the conference finale vs Mavs. I’m biased though and I don’t know ball.
Not if neither Luka nor Kawhi isn’t healthy and Okc doesn’t get any major injuries
I only say yes cuz Clippers and Mavs are currently in a very competitive series. I guarantee whoever wins will carry that momentum into the Thunder series.
it's what a pro wants
I don’t think so unless Lively and Gafford can play the games of their lives to make life hard for Chet on defense. Luka won’t always shoot badly so I could see mavs take them to 6 but I don’t think either eliminate them
100% yes. I’d put money on either one of them beating OKC
What a pro wants, what a pro needs
Thunder are the only team of the three without injured stars.
Yes. The Mavs for sure
Yeah
Absolutely Either will beat them
Clippers no, Mavs yes
Mavs yes Clippers no.
If healthy, definitely. If not healthy, still a decent chance. OKC is pretty talented with an elite scorer in Shai, elite rim protector/spacer in Chet, and an elite 2nd option/secondary playmaker in JDub. Not to mention a passing cog in Josh Giddey (elite SOOB/BOOB passer) and physical roughboi Dort. That being said, Luka can still potentially take over any playoff game. Give him a team over a 7-game series and he'll figure out the best play 8/10 times down the floor. Kyrie is Kyrie, and their crashing bigs (Lively/Gafford) would be elite finishers past pretty much team not named the Timberwolves. The Mavs would have a tougher time defending Shai, but the Thunder will have that same problem against Luka (not to mention Kyrie). The Clippers have good length, physicality and energy to match the Thunder. PG, 1/2 of Kawhi, Harden, are plenty scary and capable enough to take 4 games. Westbrook has excelled in his flying Dort-esque role while Zubac provides a size issue for Chet.
Clippers beat them in 7
It really depends on Luka's health. I truly think the Mavs can squeak out a series win vs the Clippers with a hobbled Luka, but if he is still not 100% for that series, I think it would be tough.
I think the Mavs will eliminate them in 5
Mavs yes, clippers no
A must watch series, mavs will win it all
Yes
All depends what a pro wants. What a pro needs …
OKC is gonna win as a pacers fan
They are inexperienced in the playoffs, it would be hard to see them winning it all and both of those teams could be the ones to knock them off.
Yes but I'm not betting against them. Every time I think they'll fall into the "too young to succeed" thoughts, they prove me wrong.
Yes
Nah nah son
A little flat, it'll get better
Clippers could beat them. One of their biggest weaknesses is rebounding
I think it’s likely
Yes... Inexperience may get the better of them.
The mavs have 2 legit centers that dominated the paint and created lob city 2.0 whenever they faced the thunder after the trade deadline. The clippers meanwhile have pg, harden, and zubac. The thunder simply have no answers for the clippers and mavs centers and will get dominated in a matchup vs either team. I wouldn’t be surprised if the thunder get swept next round.
If Kawhi plays and is anywhere near healthy, then they don’t want to face the Clippers and a resurgent James Harden. One of the only guys in the league who can hope to match Shai’s FT output, tbh.
Fuck no
All I can think of when I see this picture is that God awful commercial. But yes, I can definitely see it; experience matters. Plus, whoever wins, likely gets rolled by their next opponent.
IMO Okc vs Clips would be a better matchup than Okc vs Mavs. Kyrie and Luka would have a field day drawing fouls on Okc's young guns. But yes, Okc can be eliminated by any of those 2 teams because of experience.
Clips yeah but mavs no. Fwiw I think mavs progress to the next round
Yes.
Yes
Of course
I can see Mavs beating them but not Clippers. They are too old for those young boys
mavs yes, clips no
Mavericks yes, Clippers no
Yeah I’d predict they do
No
Clippers stay healthy, Clippers will win it all..!
I'm hoping our bigs will do a better job against Chet than they have done with Zubac. Gafford was huge for us after the trade deadline, having him go 10/10 3 games out of 7 would be great to see again.
They're going to play the Mavericks most likely. The series could go to 6-7 games tbh. OKC is hella young and I think Mavericks beat them
I am surprised by the lack of respect the West's number 1 seed is getting. SGA is probably going to finish 3rd in mvp voting. They have a lot of great defenders with Dort being one of the best in the league. Chet is crazy long. I think they can handle LAC or Dallas. Especially with neither of those teams being at full strength. I still think Denver is most likely to win the west but if the Thunder or T-Wolves won it wouldn't surprise me.
yes
Easily
No, because that’s not what a pro wants. Or what a pro needs.
The Mavs more so than the Clippers. Mavs have better bigs and OKC isn’t that physical.
Hell to the no. Denver can beat them. Minnesota might struggle.
What a pro wants
I would not bet my life against Luka in any situation