Through the first 25 games of the season, it looked like there was nothing that could stop the Oklahoma City Thunder from steamrolling their way to another title and establishing a new modern dynasty. OKC started the year 24-1 behind their stifling defense and the continued excellence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and even in their one loss at Portland, they led at one point by 22 before the Blazers came back and beat them by two.
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The All-Star break is now behind us, and though the Thunder still have the best record in the league, their aura of invincibility has taken a hit. They’re only 18-13 since that hot start, and most of the credit for that relatively pedestrian performance goes to the Spurs, who beat OKC three times in less than two weeks, including knocking them out of the NBA Cup.
San Antonio is just three games behind the Spurs now for the top seed in the West, and the Pistons are only 1.5 back in the race for the league’s top record. Other teams have shown plenty of promise, too, including the Celtics, who have been thriving even without Jayson Tatum and should get their star forward back soon, and the Cavs, who were hot even before dealing for James Harden earlier this month.
Out West, there’s no shortage of contenders in the Thunder’s way, which is why Dwyane Wade believes we should all hold off before crowning Mark Daigneault’s team. “It’s an incomplete year so far,” he said. “It feels like there’s so much season that needs to happen. I think the lazy thing is just, ‘Oh, OKC’s good enough, they’ll win it again.'”
Wade still acknowledged how good the Thunder obviously are, but he also said, “You can see that they can be beaten. So you’re like, ‘Alright, they’re not untouchable.'”
He then rattled off the Nuggets, Lakers and Rockets as teams in the West that could stand in OKC’s way. Add the Spurs and Wolves to that and it’s clear that another title is far from a fait accompli. Wade knows how difficult it is to repeat. He willed the Miami Heat to a title in 2006, but then got ousted in the first round the following year.
When LeBron James and Chris Bosh arrived, many thought the Miami Heat would just destroy the rest of the league, but they lost to the Mavericks in the Finals the first year. And after beating the Thunder the following year, they needed Ray Allen’s miraculous Game 6 shot to stay alive and eventually repeat in 2013.
The Spurs got revenge a year later in emphatic fashion, effectively ending Miami’s Big 3 era. It’s a lesson that goes to show just how quickly greatness can come and go in the league. If that team wasn’t immune to it, then the Thunder aren’t either. Maybe they’ll win this year, maybe they won’t, but Wade is right that either way, it isn’t going to be easy.
