The Oklahoma City Thunder won an NBA championship a year ago and then started this season 24-1. But they've been very average for the past few months, and other teams in the Western Conference are pushing them around. Is that ''dynasty'' talk far too premature?
This might be a massive over-reaction, but I'm starting to wonder if the Oklahoma City Thunder just might have been a one-hit wonder.
And I'm saying it with a straight face.
I've given them a ton of credit for the way they've built this team through the years, marveled at how played a year ago while winning 68 games and cruising to their first NBA title in OKC after a thrilling seven-game win over the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals.
I also called them the best team ever after they roared out of the blocks this season by going 24-1 in their first 25 games. The clear target was winning the most games ever — the Golden State Warriors hold the record at 73-9 — and they were well on their way. That 25-game start equated to a 78-4 projection.
Greatness. It was clearly in the conversation.
But since then, the Thunder have become very average. The next 25 games? They were a mere 15-10. And in their last six games, they are just 3-3 with a very uninspiring 110-93 loss at home to the Milwaukee Bucks, a team that's seven games under .500.
Some way to stagger into the All-Star break.
The heavy favorites to repeat as champions are 42-14 and still have the best record in the NBA. But do they LOOK like the best team in the league?
Not to me. Not in the past two months.
From Dec. 13 to Feb. 13, they are 18-13. There are 11 teams with a better record during that time period. Sure, the Thunder have dealt with some injuries, but so has everyone else.
Here are the records of the top-15 teams in the NBA since Dec. 13:
1. Detroit Pistons (20-8)
2. San Antonio Spurs (21-9)
3t. Boston Celtics (20-9)
3t. Los Angeles Clippers (20-9)
5. Cleveland Cavaliers (19-10)
6. Charlotte Hornets (19-11)
7. Phoenix Suns (18-12)
8. Toronto Raptors (17-12)
9t. Portland Trail Blazers (18-13)
9t. Minnesota Timberwolves (18-13)
9t. New York Knicks (18-13)
9t. Oklahoma City Thunder (18-13)
13. Golden State Warriors (16-13)
14t. Denver Nuggets (17-14)
14t. HoustonRockets (17-14)
What's worrisome is where the losing are coming from. The Thunder have lost at home six times already. They only lost at home six times ALL YEAR in 2024-25.
The lost to Milwaukee — a team with a 23-30 record on Thursday —and they lost to an Indiana team last month who just got fined for trying to lose games on purpose.
Even worse is that there are teams in the Western Conference who feel like they're better than the Thunder. The Minnesota Timberwolves have won two straight against OKC and the San Antonio Spurs have won four of five this season.
That's a playoff series.
Sure, maybe it's an over-reaction. Another 18-13 run makes them 58-24 when the season ends. Maybe they all get healthy, maybe they play better, maybe they care more.
It's difficult to repeat in any sport. Many time, all those breaks you got the year before kind of disappear that second year. The injury bug is usually different from one year to the next, too.
Especially in basketball, that extra two months of the postseason really is a factor, too. It really cuts hard into the offseason, cuts into the rest and recovery — both mental and physical. Let's not forget that the Thunder played 23 postseason games last year. That's nearly a third of a season.
Someone will find this column in June and tell me how wrong I was, and that could be true. I am still a huge Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fan, and this team is loaded with talent. They are well-coached, and they are a well-run franchise.
Still, 13 losses in two months is a lot. With two months to go, we'll need to see them get better.
Will they?