As the regular season comes to a close, a playoff matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder is looking like a real postseason possibility. Lou Williams left little doubt which side he will take if that series comes to fruition.
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Williams makes an interesting choice, considering Luka’s Mavericks sent the Thunder home last postseason. Now, playing alongside LeBron James and Austin Reaves, Doncic only poses more of a threat to an OKC roster with minimal playoff experience.
The former Sixth Man of the Year first pointed out that everyone knows what Luka Doncic brings to the table and how dominant he can be on the offensive end. However, this season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s production has been unmatched by any guard in the association, making it an easy choice for Williams.
“This year, SGA has been one of two of the best players in the entire league right now,” Williams said. “So, I don’t think that’s gonna change going into the playoffs. It’s not gonna change what he’s been able to accomplish this year and the way he’s played on both ends of the floor, not just offensively.”
Lou Williams picks SGA over Luka Doncic in a playoff series
“Nikola Jokic is probably the only person I would even have a conversation about picking besides SGA going into a playoff series. This is easy for me.”@MichelleDBeadle | @TeamLou23 | @ChandlerParsons pic.twitter.com/A6p6KKcNzy
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) April 7, 2025
Still, the Thunder boasts the best record in the Western Conference by a wide margin. They accomplished the same last season before flaming out in the playoffs, but the franchise made needed acquisitions and improvements to ensure that disappointment isn’t repeated. Even still, the Thunder have been underestimated as a playoff opponent.
Brian Windhorst says teams and players are disrespecting the Thunder
Oklahoma City is overlooked but not because of their lack of talent. The team possesses the youngest roster in the NBA, and that makes rival teams more comfortable facing them. Not a single player on the team has made a Conference Finals, but Brian Windhorst was still taken aback by the league-wide disrespect.
“I’m not even arguing that they are a lock or that they’re one of the great teams of the last decade, but my God, is there an incredible amount of disrespect for this team,” Windhorst said on First Take.
“And Mad Dog, it’s not just you. I hear it everyday. I hear it implicitly from other people I talk to in the league. I hear it implicitly from players out there who are like, ‘Yeah, yeah, we’ll be fine on the same side of the bracket as OKC.’ They just don’t respect them.”
The only way for the Thunder to turn their reputation around will be to dominate this postseason. The team has the likely MVP in Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way alongside a cast of multi-faceted young talents and defensive-minded veterans. The Thunder are built for a championship, but they’ll have to overcome doubters to get there.
