ESPN Analyst Isn't 'Throwing Away' OKC Thunder After Poor Showing in NBA Cup Final

Though the Oklahoma City Thunder disappointed on a big stage against the Milwaukee Bucks, Tim Legler still stood by credible of a threat it is as a contender.

Dec 17, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) and Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis (9) fight for a loose ball during the 3rd quarter of the Emirates NBA Cup championship game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

An underwhelming NBA Cup Final showing in Las Vegas against the Milwaukee Bucks has come with plenty of discourse in the following days surrounding the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Thunder had easily been viewed as the top team out of the Western Conference and a championship favorite, but one of its poorest offensive showings in recent memory on a grand stage put its legitimacy into question. It lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 97-81, doing little to impress.

The 3-point shooting woes that have been noticeable throughout the regular season were on full display, as Oklahoma City shot 5-of-32 as a collective unit. It's ranked towards the middle portion of the league — a big drop-off from last season, where it finished among the best.

Even though it's now clear the Thunder isn't without imperfections, ESPN analyst Tim Legler stands by that it's still very much an elite team.

"I'm not gonna throw away what I've watched all year based on last night," Legler said on SportsCenter. "I know how good that team is but there's no doubt that was their worst performance of the year in a high-profile game."

It wasn't the optimal performance to get casual NBA viewers behind it as a championship favorite — nor was it good to help convince the league to market it better — but one game is not the correct sample size to value a team's strength.

Bad performances like this happen on occasion to any team, and the Bucks are clearly a top team out of the Eastern Conference behind the star duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. They attacked Oklahoma City intensely in the paint, and with the few amount of times both teams see each other, there was clearly not enough preparation.

It'd be a mistake to forget the previous 20 wins that the Thunder has earned thus far, not just against some of the bottom feeders in the NBA, but some teams that it could see when the playoffs roll around. It has one of the highest rated defensive units in history for a reason.

The loss will sting for a little bit, but Oklahoma City has plenty more basketball left to figure out what went wrong and how it can avoid it from happening again in the future.

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