Thunder Again Without Christmas Contest, but Could be Back Soon
The Thunder were last a part of the NBA’s Christmas Day schedule in 2018, losing 113-109 to the Houston Rockets.
This was the last season of Russell Westbrook’s tenure in Loud City and the last time the Thunder had high expectations entering a season.
Those are the ingredients to getting a Christmas Day game — have, at least, one marquee star and have high expectations, either of the team or that player.
The Thunder of Christmas Past were regulars on Dec. 25 — playing nine consecutive years from 2010-18.
Saturday marks the third straight season the franchise won’t feature on the NBA’s Christmas showcase, but OKC could be back in the fold sooner than you may expect.
All 10 teams featured on this year’s Christmas slate were playoff teams this past season and feature some of the league’s biggest stars.
2020’s Christmas slate, however, gave us a glimpse into what the Thunder’s next appearance could look like.
2020 saw the Miami Heat defeat the New Orleans Pelicans, 111-98. The Pelicans, coming off a 30-42 record, would go on to finish that season with a 31-41 record, missing the playoffs for a third straight season. But the Pelicans weren’t selected based on previous or upcoming success, and the Thunder likely won’t have to be either.
The NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver love featuring the league's biggest stars on Christmas as families sit around the living watching basketball as they open presents, but they also like giving fans a glimpse of what’s to come.
The Pelicans finished 11th in the Western Conference last season, but featured Brandon Ingram and basketball supernova Zion Williamson. Despite the loss Williamson put up an impressive 32 points and 14 rebounds on the NBA’s biggest regular season stage.
With 15 first round picks over the next five drafts plus a young core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey and Luguentz Dort the Thunder have one of the brightest futures in the league. It’s that bright future that could see them catapult onto a Christmas slate sooner than most would expect. One ping pong ball is all it takes for the Thunder to get the kind of talent it takes to get the Commissioner's office's attention.
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