Oklahoma City is an Outlier in the Western Conference Bracket

Typically, higher seeds tend to have the upper hand in the postseason. That hasn't entirely been the case in the Western Conference thus far in the playoffs,

Apr 26, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) holds after shooting for three during the fourth quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies during game four for the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City's dominant and historic regular season came with a lot of doubt from external fans, and even national media, showing their opinions on the youth and inexperience associated with this year's Thunder team.

Despite having one of the best net ratings in a season of all time, housing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and managing a top-four offense and defense statistically, some just can't seem to grasp the though of a young team being able to go all the way this season.

As of now, sweeping the Memphis Grizzlies in Round 1 and now awaiting the Denver Nuggets on Monday night, the Thunder has been an outlier thus far in the Western Conference.

Both the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves, respectively sitting at the No. 7 and No. 6 seeds, defeated their higher-seeded matchups in the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers to move on to the second round. The Denver Nuggets, who did have the upper hand in seeding at the No. 4 slot compared to the fifth-seeded L.A. Clippers, did eventually edge them out.

Though, they held the exact same record in the regular season, not highlighting a stark contrast between the two's regular season success.

So, as it stands, Oklahoma City is really the only team in the West that backed up its regular season success in the first round, eclipsing the Memphis Grizzlies relatively easy in four games.

The No. 2, 3 and 5 seeds are gone, leaving the West-leading Thunder with a matchup against the Nuggets in the second round.

On the East side, the best four teams in the regular season moved on to the second rounds. The Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers, all held the one-through-four spots in the regular season, and will clash in the second round of the postseason.

This illustrates the tough competition in the Western Conference, and how it is true that regular season success doesn't particularly define postseason success.

As for Oklahoma City, it is trucking along, looking to take on the Nuggets inside a raucous Paycom Center after over a week of rest following the sweep over the Grizzlies.