The Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the Cleveland Cavaliers 134-114 in a battle of the top two seeds in the NBA.
This is the second time these two giants faced off this season, and now it’s a split in the series. OKC and Cleveland have the potential to create an all-time great NBA Finals.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 40 points and 8 assists in just three quarters of playing time. He is the current favorite for the Most Valuable Player award this season.
Who Can Stop Them?
At this rate, the only teams in the mix that have a chance of beating the Thunder in a seven game series are the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Celtics are the reigning champs, but they don’t look exactly the same as last year. Maybe it’s post-championship fatigue, but they might not have the firepower to take down the young Oklahoma City team.
Cleveland has taken OKC down once this year, but the Thunder’s statement win has turned heads around the league.
They made the Cavs look like a pedestrian team all night, and it was hard for Cleveland to even claw out of the Thunder’s trap.
The Depth
The scary part about the Thunder’s rumble is that Chet Holmgren isn’t even back in the lineup yet. Once his presence is back in the mix, teams will struggle even more against OKC.
They lead the NBA in defensive rating with a dangerous number of 103.7. Players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace and Jalen Williams have been pests for opposing offenses.
Teams simply struggle to matchup from top to bottom against the Thunder. Not only are they young, but they are arguably the deepest team in the league.
Championship On The Horizon?
Being such a young team has its perks; teams in the Western Conference are aging, and they must take advantage of the opportunity at hand.
The championship window for Oklahoma City seems wide open, and sitting at a 34-6 record, they have the chance to make it storm on the rest of the NBA.
