20-15.
13-4 since the first of December and winners of five in a row and eight of their last nine.
Nobody was forecasting this.
When you looked at the Thunder pre-season roster it wasn’t terrible or absent of potential, but no one knew how many games this group would be playing together as a team this NBA season.
I have no idea what Sam Presti is thinking, but for me this a red line evaluation week for the Thunder of sorts.
The four games this week consist of a road back to back starting tonight in Philadelphia. Then versus the Nets tomorrow night in Brooklyn. Then an emotional first return to Chesapeake Energy Arena for Russell Westbrook and the Rockets coming to town on Thursday in what could possibly be a preview of a first round matchup. Then a Saturday game against the first place Lakers.
If the Thunder can salvage a 2-2 split through these four games they’d be sitting on 22-17 at pretty much the mid-point of the season.
Was this the Presti Plan all along? To get to this point and evaluate what the Thunder are with this roster? Are they a viable contender in the West? Are they an automatic first round exit?
Could this team do what no Thunder team has done since Kevin Durant sneaked out the back door to get his two rings with Steph, Klay, and Draymond?
That being, win a first round series in the West.
Does this team with this roster have in them what the Portland Trailblazers had last season when they advanced to the Western Conference Finals with Enes Kanter playing a significant role?
My response is fairly simple.
Of course they do.
Depending on where you rank Damian Lillard amongst the current greats of the game–at the least this team is as good as that Portland team last season.
1 thru 13 this Thunder team is solid.
If I were ranking the Thunder roster as of today this is how I’d rate the roster: 1 Chris Paul, 2 Shai Gilgeous Alexander, 3 Danilo Gallinari, 4 Steven Adams, 5 Dennis Schroder, 6 Nerlens Noel, 7 Terrance Ferguson, 8 Hami Diallo, 9 Darius Bazely, 10 Abdel Nadar, 11 Mike Muscala, 12 Lu Dort, 13 Deonte Burton.
That’s not a bad NBA roster as long as Chris Paul and Big Gallo stay healthy.
As we get closer to February 6th and the trade deadline the question I have is if Sam Presti is already locked in on what he’s going to do at the deadline or if this team will stay together if they climb to either the 6th the 5th or 4th seed in the West by the trade deadline.
Thunder on the road tonight in Philly as a 4.5 or so Vegas road underdog I’d guesstimate.