I guess there’s a chance Paul George stays in Oklahoma City even though I think it’s much, much smaller than the 75% chance ESPN’s Royce Young is touting. Even if George stays this would be a Thunder team which without Kevin Durant is 3-8 in two quick exits from the playoffs in the post Kevin Durant era in Oklahoma City.
This is a Thunder team which has a massive headache with its Carmelo Anthony situation and the question of how quickly Andre Roberson will be able to return to elite defender status.
Then there’s that obvious elephant in the room, that being—is Russell Westbrook’s usage conducive to team play once a team makes it to post season without Durant alongside him to smooth out the rough edges.
So as we get set to witness the two best teams in the NBA square off in the Western Conference Finals it’s somewhat sad for me to realize this is the first time I’ll be watching Durant and Harden squaring off in post season .
There are so many what ifs following OKC’s one singular appearance in the NBA 2012 NBA Finals. The biggest what if forever will be the question why didn’t Sam Presti wait out Harden’s restricted free agency and see how the team would have evolved further in 2013 keeping the Fab Four of Durant, Westbrook, Harden, and Ibaka together for at least one more season.
There will also forever will be that what if Presti had decided Durant and Harden should have been the two man hub of the team rather than Durant and Westbrook.
For those who were paying attention in 2012 it was actually Harden’s play as the hybrid guard along side Westbrook which got the Thunder to the Finals in the first place. It was Harden who was the Cool Hand Luke of that group of precocious kids who steadied the ship.
Would we now be watching the Thunder on the cusp of a third NBA championship rather than the Warriors who came out of left field to steal the Thunder’s status as the ‘it’ team in the NBA.
I will admit there’s a sadness in my heart as we wait for Monday night’s Game 1 of the Warriors-Rockets series.
But still it was a glorious decade of basketball for an Oklahoma City market which only by the grace of Hurricane Katrina ever got to borrow Seattle’s franchise for this past decade.
Who could have possibly thought after Portland took Greg Oden and passed on Kevin Durant we in Oklahoma would get to witness a decade of basketball which forever will be remembered by anyone who follows the NBA.
What’s next in Oklahoma City remains to be seen. But for those of us who witnessed this decade of Thunder basketball it will forever be remembered as something very special.