OKC’s Loss to the Lakers Shouldn’t Diminish Playoff Hopes
In the NBA world, overreactions are the natural response to player performances or results of games.
The league is more competitive than ever, with teams from top to bottom posing serious threats on any given night. As great as one team could be throughout the whole season, one loss is enough to put its championship hopes into question.
The Oklahoma City Thunder got that treatment Monday night.
Although it still stands as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, Oklahoma City had one of its most underwhelming games of the year, falling to the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104. The offense crumbled against a hounding Los Angeles defense, shooting just below the 40% mark from the field.
The loss was brutal, and featured some of the worst combined efforts from the Thunder’s star trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, scoring 42 points on 13-of-36 shooting. Outside of the trio, no other player stepped up to the occasion enough to outlast the likes of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell.
The Lakers haven’t exactly been seen as a top threat in the West this season, sitting only at the No. 9 seed with a now-34-29 record. They’ve struggled to put everyone together on a consistent basis, but because of their high-end talent, they are more than capable to be a contender once again.
Last night showed that Oklahoma City probably wants to avoid that matchup in the first round at all costs, but depending on how the standings shake out, it’s possible a date with Los Angeles is on the horizon.
Even if that’s the case, however, the Thunder have shown enough through the season to eliminate the notion that a first round exit is impending. Sure a series against the Lakers is not ideal, but a seven-game series is a little different than one game at the beginning of March.
Oklahoma City has the personnel to match up with any team in the West, even if it lacks the playoff experience of a Los Angeles or Denver Nuggets. One game might be an off-night, but in a series, its star players are going to play like star players.
And unless it’s the Lakers or Sacramento Kings, the Thunder has a winning or tied record with every other team in the West.
There are legitimate concerns to bring up after the loss to consider solving before the playoffs roll around, but as the Thunder has shown all season, it can’t be counted out against any team. It’ll react to this loss, but it won’t overreact.
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