OKC’s Thunder gets back in action on Friday night hosting the LA Lakers. It will begin a stretch of three very winnable home games for the Thunder as they begin the post All-Star break portion of their schedule. As far as team goals, the Thunder look to be headed for either a 6th or 7th seed and probably something like a 47-25 record if Russell Westbrook stays free of injury.
The primary drama for OKC fans and quite honestly the entire NBA is whether Westbrook can notch the first seasonal triple double since Oscar Robertson accomplished the feat in ’62.
Much has been speculated as to how they would fare in a one on one duel of sorts. Robertson is two inches taller and played a more deliberate style of play. He was more of a pure distributor, but then again Oscar Robertson never had the Andre Roberson dilemma to deal with which makes floor spacing a continual issue for Westbrook. Westbrook is faster and even though he’s smaller than Robertson, he rebounds with the physicality of a forward. It would be an interesting duel if the two ever met in a one on one duel while both were in their prime.
As far as the overall NBA season, there’s not much drama. Golden State with their four all-stars clearly has the best team in the league. Whether LeBron has enough talent on his roster to beat the Warriors is debatable. Does Cleveland have enough scoring to deny Kevin Durant his first championship would seem to be the major storyline as we resume play after the trade deadline.