As upsets ravage the NBA's elite, Oklahoma City’s flaw-free roster and stifling defense provide a blueprint for survival. Can Shai Gilgeous-Alexander keep the top seed's title hopes alive?
The 2026 NBA Playoffs have already been a landmine of shocking upsets and surprising seven game series. And it's just Round 1.
The Los Angeles Lakers without Luka Doncic and mostly without Austin Reaves were big underdogs to the Houston Rockets. But the ageless LeBron James had other ideas.
The Minnesota Timberwolves weren't given much of a chance at all against the Denver Nuggets, a team many experts predicted to make a run for the Larry O'Brien Trophy. And once the Timberwolves lost Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo and Ayo Dosunmu, their obituaries were practically already written. However, Rudy Gobert outplayed Nikola Jokic throughout an entire playoff series.
The latest and most stunning underdog victory took place at The TD Garden on Saturday night when the #7 seed Philadelphia 76ers defeated the #2 seed Boston Celtics. The 2024 NBA Champions were a popular pick to come out of the Eastern Conference and make a return trip to the NBA Finals. Yet they couldn't make it to Round 2.
Not even the #1 seeds are safe. The East's top team, the Detroit Pistons, are in danger of possibly falling in the first round to the #8 seeded Orlando Magic. Pistons fans hope to avoid the fate of the Dallas Mavericks losing to the "We Believe" Golden State Warriors back in 2007.
The Oklahoma City Thunder hope to avoid this heavy favorite disappointment that seems to be on the rise. Thunder versus Celtics was a trendy choice as a Finals matchup. The last two title teams battling it out for the championship. And that forecasted Finals is over before it ever even started.
So what makes the Thunder different than the Celtics, Nuggets, Rockets and the Pistons?
Well, first of all, OKC took care of business in swift, sweeping fashion in the first round. One easy way to avoid an upset is by finishing a series in four games with an average margin of 17.5 points per game.
The most notable difference, though, between Oklahoma City and the other top teams that have struggled thus far in the playoffs is the lack of a glaring weakness. Houston has had issues generating offense all season and that was amplified with the physicality of the postseason. On the opposite end, Denver's defensive warts were clear all season and came to a head in Round 1. Boston relies heavily on 3 point shooting, which can bite you in any given series due to shooting variance. Detroit has a lack of shooting or any offensive creation outside of Cade Cunningham.
The Thunder, meanwhile, don't have a fatal flaw. They're not a perfect team. But there isn't one area that can be exploited. And OKC's floor is incredibly high due to their elite level defense that translates in the playoffs combined with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's incredibly consistent scoring and playmaking. Combine that formula with two other All-Stars in Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams along with a plethora of high level, two way role players and the Thunder are a tough out.
Round 2 tips off on Tuesday in Oklahoma City. LA will have their hands full trying to upset the league's best team. LeBron James and the Lakers were impressive in the opening round and became a fun underdog story.
But the Thunder ain't the Rockets. Nor the Celtics, Nuggets or Pistons.