2026 Elimination Ruminations: OKC Thunder

OKC THUNDER (11-4)

In the last post, I sorta implied - or maybe it sounded like I took for granted - that the Thunder would win, but I didn't mean it like that.  What I was saying is that, imo, they would have been a better matchup for the Knicks.  That is to say that if any team in the East has the perimeter defenders (not including KAT or Brunson) to counteract the Spurs, it's NYK.

And you know, I wasn't the only person sounding like OKC was going to win.  Even mainstream outlets were doing the same, to the point that I even heard one YouTuber claim there was some type of rigging conspiracy in their favor.  Well, he was obviously wrong.  "The Dragon" won't be released this year.

JUSTICE IS SERVED

I've been saying for a year now that if Haliburton hadn't tripped over a banana peel in Game 7 of the 2025 Finals, it was very much looking, from the onset, like the Pacers were going to upset the Thunder and furthermore blow them TF out.  In hindsight, OKC's braintrust should have taken that more seriously, i.e. made some type of significant upgrade.

Maybe they were thinking 'oh, Tyrese is hurt. We ain't got nothing to worry about this season'.  You know, they believed their own press type shit.  Indeed, the danger of everybody being on your d*ck is thinking you're better than you actually are.

That's taking nothing away from Jared McCain who for spurts looked like OKC's best player.  The way the Thunder acquired him reinforced just how exceptional their braintrust is.

Also, shoutout to Jalen Williams.  Now we see that yes, despite their depth or regular season dominance, his playability is integral to this team's overall success.  But he's obviously not a true Pippen in terms of durability.

It's also safe to predict that now, all of that SGA MVP shit will stop, not saying that he isn't deserving though.  Some people say that he's boring to watch, but I beg to differ.  Having this relatively-slow PG who you like already know what he's going to do but still can't stop is must-watch, imo.  He's the most-methodical high-scoring PG since John Stockton (though not necessarily comparing the two).  But by the end of the day, he was effectively neutralized by Wemby.  And you know, it ain't like Shai can go to the gym during the offseason and grow a foot taller or some shit.

This is only Wembanyama's third season, but I think it's safe to say he's the best defender I've ever seen.  Lebron, in his prime, could guard the 1 through 5, though you wouldn't want to put him (defensively) against the bigger Cs.  But big or small, Wemby can defend them all.

SHOUTOUT TO THE SPURS

The Spurs are the only team who have more or less been contenders for 30 years straight.  They won at least one championship in the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and now possibly 2020s.  That's three different roster iterations (though two were led by Duncan).  No other franchise, not even the Lakers, can make that claim.

Picking Wemby a couple of years back was a no-brainer.  So what they should really be applauded for was drafting Castle who, the way I remember it, wasn't particularly popular coming into the league.

I remember when dude won ROY, and pundits were like 'so what. The class is garbage, so who else you gonna choose?'.  I remember they were even talking like, once the Spurs acquired Fox (and later drafted Harper) that they should just trade dude away or some shit.  Man, were they wrong.  When he banged it on SGA - I think that was in Game 4 or 5 - that's when you knew that the MVP was indeed beatable.

Speaking of which, my favorite thing about this series was the physicality.  Dudes played like real men, like now, you could see the difference between the NBA and WNBA(?).  All types of bodies were flying, with Wemby's light ass getting thrown to the floor nightly.  Yet, no punches were thrown, although I think there was like one altercation.

That's the scariest thing about Victor, imo.  His height, coupled with his mobility, is intrinsically an unfair advantage in the game of basketball.  It's more of a natural advantage than Steph having twice the shooting genes of Dell.  You see all types of players now mimicking Curry to success.  But there's no way they can copy Wemby.

But the truly scariest thing, I meant to say, is his competitiveness.  Even with all of his talent and advantages, dude is out there playing dirty and shit, you know, throwing elbows and taking cheap shots, like he really wants to win.  But as he becomes the most-popular player in the NBA, i.e. someone finally surpassing LBJ, the refs need to keep an eye on that type of shit.  You don't want the face of the league earning the reputation of a bad boy, because then, everyone else will follow.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Despite all that shit I was talking earlier, I don't think OKC's roster need any changes at this point, not with the recent acquisition of McCain and the emergence of Caruso.  In fact, as far as this postseason for instance, it almost seems like they now have more rotation players than they can accommodate, even with the absence of Williams.

Rather, the main priority should be the health of Jalen.  But you know, as I always say with these young injuries, who knows if dude will ever fully recuperate?  The good news is that he already won a championship, as well as made an All-Star Game.  The bad news is that, oh shit, he hasn't even gotten past his rookie contract yet(!).

This iteration of the Thunder have to play it back at least one more season to see if they can get revenge.  But that said, it takes both Holmgren and Hartenstein to attempt to neutralize Wemby.  So if anything, they obviously need another big, one who can come off the bench and actually have an interior impact against the best in the league.    

The Spurs Having OKC's Number

The Spurs apparently have OKC's number.  This is where, if you're a team like the Thunder, the NBA rigging in your favor becomes important.  And relatedly, this is also why it's imperative to have at least one hands-down superstar on your team.  You know, not just someone who's really good but a player who fans across the board want to win.

Every perennial champion or contender is going to have at least one team they simply can't beat, whether that team is also contenders or not.  That's been true going back at least to the 1990s.

The 1998 Bulls for instance couldn't hang with the 1998 Lakers, even before Kobe truly found his footing.  I remember Jordan and co. also had what looked like issues with the early-1990s' Nets, a relatively garbage team but one likewise replete with quality players who were younger (and faster) than the Bulls core.

The Lakers have also had problems with faster teams, even going back to the Kobe + Shaq championship days.  J.J. Redick finally admitted, indirectly, that LAL's core is too old and too white - something that we at NBA Inception understood since the time they traded for Doncic.  But this organization being unable to defend youth isn't anything new.  Derek Fisher used to always get burned by opposing star PGs.  The present-day Lakers have one of the most hardheaded braintrusts in the NBA, so again, you shouldn't realistically be expecting them to win a championship anytime soon unless, you know what I'm saying?  Is Luka really rig-worthy?

ARE THE SPURS CONTENDERS?

There's a difference between being able to beat a champion and actualy being a contender.  The conference playoffs have three rounds, meaning that even if San Antonio does luck out and face OKC, somewhere along the line there's two other teams they also have to beat before getting to the Finals.  And that's also presuming that the Thunder doesn't figure them out between now and then.

So I'm not in a rush to call these gusy contenders even though I'm glad there's at least one team out there has proven they can beat OKC.  The more interesting observation, in the grand scheme of it all, is that besides the Knicks and Nuggets, all of the other older teams in the NBA looked more or less washed.  But of course if you've been reading this blog over the past few years, then you knew this day was coming.

SHOUTOUT TO JALEN WILLIAMS

Something all star players should fear(?) is their team proving bettrer without than with them.  I know that isn't fully the case with Jalen, but you get what I mean.  You're looking from the sideline, watching your team go like 23 and 1 or some shit, and on one hand you're like 'wow, this is amazing'.  You're jumping out of your seat and cheering, as if you too are on the court.  But in the back your mind it's like 'what if they start losing when I come back?'

The NBA is a strange beast these days.  Predictability has, in large part, been thrown out the window.  Or rather let me say that dudes are now injured so often that, you know what I'm saying, you have to live with or without them.  And some teams learn to play better without a star player or two.  Wemby almost ended up there himself until, oh shit, the Spurs starting beating the Thunder.  Then it became obvious that even if they did having a higher winning percentage when he was injured, they aren't actually better without him.

CONCLUSION

Honestly, I don't want to see a non-superteam(?), you know, only lose like five game throughout the entire season.  When something like that happens, you know what I'm saying?  SGA isn't Jordan, like people don't want to see him winning all the time like that.  If he were Jordan, then Team Canada wouldn't be so garbage.  And when the Warriors only lost nine games, it's like with the roster they had, they should have won all 82.  So thank you Wemby and co. for at least making the NBA competitive again.  And as for the Thunder's braintrust, if you're looking forward to the benefit of rigging - which often separates champions from other contenders in the world of professional sports - then I suggest you like market your brand better or something.

2025 NBA Finals Ruminations (Game 7)

 THE PACERS HAVE EARNED MY RESPECT

A week or so, after taking the Eastern Conference and maybe a game or two in the Finals, Haliburton was talking about how the Pacers have been underestimated all season long, how many critics considered their success of last year a "fluke" and shit like that.  I was thinking like man, dude must've been reading this blog, because that's exactly how I felt about Indiana's 2024 postseason showing and to some extent this year's also.  But dudes have now firmly earned my respect, for what it's worth.  IMO, there's no reason to believe if Tyrese didn't get hurt or whatever, they probably would have taken Game 7, in OKC.

Obviously though, this is a team that needs and upgrade or two.  If Haliburton is incapacitated, you can't put the onus on Siakim because he's too old in NBA years, and frankly put, even though Pascal is a star, he's never been a superstar.  You know, he ain't KD type shit.  But dude really tries.

I'm also hoping that Myles Turner sticks around.  Yes, it's frustrating at times seeing the biggest man on the team, especially one as mobile as he is, going through stretches where he has like zero impact.  But if they retain Turner, instead going out trying to fill a specific position, their roster is such that Indy can just go for whoever is the best free agent on the market.  But ideally yes, they would make an addition that'd edify the frontcourt, preferably a big who like rebounds and plays defense.  Why not?  The Thunder - and especially Jalen Williams - were like killing them in the interior.

HALIBURTON FALTERS

No disrespect, but I was looking forward - one way or another - to Tyrese proving ineffective in Game 7.  I thought it was going to be something like the crowd getting in his head.  Instead he came out the gate ultra-hot, easily looking like the best player in the contest, and then fucked up his ankle at like totally the worst time.

To some extent, I think there are legitimate questions as to just how much an "MVP" SGA is, you know, how much he deserves that title, because in the grand scheme of it all Haliburton has been more or less playing just as well, up until Game 7.  You know what I'm saying?  There were games during this series where you're like 'is SGA really MVP'?

"THE FUTURE OF THE NBA"

You now have these news outlets dubbing OKC and Indy 'the future of the NBA', with the current youth movement being something I first predicted at least three years ago.  But anyway.... if niggas is playing in the Finals and winning championships and shit, obviously they're the present, not the future.

The Thunder, in my humble opinion, didn't overly impressed.  I'm genuinely convinced that the Pacers had OKC's fandom shook more than vice versa.  That's one of the advantages of being the underdog - there isn't as much pressure to succeed, so to speak.  But still, even if Indiana did proceed to win the championship, it would've been hard to argue that the Pacers' roster is superior.  It's more like Indy just had the bigger heart, which is understandable considering the road they took to get here. 

Indy relied more heavily on the three which, as the series progressed, did appear as the preferable strategy, so long as the shots were going in.  I was hoping that, given the size of OKC, the Finals would prove the end of the smallball era.  Obviously that's not going to happen just yet, if ever.  But I think it did reaffirm that size does matter as teams, such as the Thunder, rely on drives and midrange shots.  In other words, if other squads don't have the adequate size/talent to defend the key (which most don't), it's going to be virtually impossible to dethrone the defending champs.

IS OKC OVERRATED?

I know that's a funny question to ask, considering they just won the championship.  But I think they are overrated in the sense that many of us presumed, or I guess you can say assumed they'd best the Pacers more convincingly.

The Thunder also seems to have issues sometimes maximizing all of the major pieces on their roster, which isn't really anything new, as I remember last postseason Josh Giddey getting lost in the sauce.  I'm not saying that anyone was neglected in 2025 per se, but again, you have to believe this team could have played better - or perhaps smarter - during the Finals.  Like I don't foresee Mark Daigneault winning COY anytime soon.  If you have a team who, on paper, is better than everyone else, than you're not just supposed to win games; you're supposed to dominate.

But I guess now that the roster is used to each other, we'll really see what's up next season.  I'm looking forward to dudes, if healthy, winning 70 games next year.  Like I hope more pundits start calling out their less-than-stellar performance rather than dickridin.  Now that OKC has won a championship, they'll prolly need that extra encouragement to stay motivated.

It'd be cool if Chet Holmgren especially learned how to play better or more consistently in the post.  Maybe he will, as he ages and get fatter(?).  These days, it's like you have to push bigmen to bang down low, to take advantage of their size instead of relying on jumpers, and you don't want to wait until too late, kinda like how the Cavs have done with Mobley.  Conclusively, OKC could really benefit, imo, from adding some versatility to their offensive style/strategy, because dudes may have struggled more than they should have versus Indy.

SHOUTOUT TO LU DORT

Speaking of being lost in the sauce, Dort is probably the fifth or sixth most-popular name on OKC, but he's like their glue guy.  Lu may never be like a star in his own right, but in the grand scheme of things he's just as important to this roster as anyone outside of SGA and Williams and is arguably just as important as the latter.  He's the one who, when defenders are paying so much attention to the stars, can do unexpected shit that like changes the momentum.

A GOOD, SCRAPPY WHITE

If I were able to put together my own NBA team, the rotation would definitely have to include a scrappy White, and I'm not talking about any of those European sissies.  I mean an American whiteboy like T.J. McConnell, Alex Caruso, Tyler Herro if you want to take a more 'civilized' approach or even Austin Reeves, who's been developing swag of late.

As for McConnell, I'd have to presume these Finals raised his stock significantly.  He's far from being a max player, and he's also kinda old in NBA years.  But more than anyone on the Pacers' roster, based on the Finals, he deserves more burn next season.  More importantly, he's proven to be exactly the type of player you want on your team during big games.  He's a small, unpretentious Whiteboy - so much so that even if T.J. scores 40 points, it'd still be difficult for the opposing defense to focus on him.  McConnell played better than Haliburton in at least two games during this series, but the D could never rationalize giving him the full Haliburton treatment.

There's a headline currently circulating insinuating that T.J. was like crying or some shit after losing Game 7.  It's hard to imagine what, from a professional perspective, would compel someone being paid $10mil/year to play basketball to cry, you know, in public even.  But that just goes to show not only how much dude wanted to win but how much he believed they could have won, even without their star.

And speaking of American whiteboys, you know, I never seen Cooper Flagg play, but I hope he knows or learns how to scrap.  He's going to need that playing alongside the likes of AD and Klay.  Coming into the NBA as an American white, you're already an underdog.  That's one of the reasons, I believe, that Cooper has gone from being unanimously considered to be the next big thing to now analysts saying 'who knows how he'll pan out against the big guys'.  Learn from Alex Caruso; learn from McConnell my nigga.  A lack of athleticism can be mitigated by doggedness.

THE RISE OF THE TALL POINTGUARD

I'm sitting here ruminating over that stupid-ass Desmond Bane trade and thinking to myself that yes, the Magic could've used an upgrade at point, but they needed one more in the interior.  Pointguard is the most stacked position in the NBA, like the easiest one to fill with a proficient player.  Why?  Because more people are playing basketball these days, and most of us are normal-sized, not giants.

But on the surface, the NBA is getting taller, not shorter.  The game may have transitioned more towards the three, with guards traditionally being better shooters.  But now, as compared to the past, people no longer believe that really-tall dudes are like too dumb to dribble type shit.

If you look at this year's Finals, you'll see that Haliburton is listed at 6'5" and SGA 6'6".  Even looking at those dudes on TV, you can tell they're lengthy, like tall enough to reasonably play SF (in today's NBA).

Contrast this with back in the days, when tall points like Magic Johnson were considered anomalies.  Even into the 21st century, PGs like Shaun Livingston and Michael Carter-Williams stood out due to their height.  Now, we have a Finals with two tall starting points, and like no one even blinked twice.  Meanwhile, this may have been the first time in history something like that happened, i.e. both starting points being taller than 6'5".

Most of the PGs in the NBA are still short, relatively speaking, but maybe we're witnessing the start of something new.  It isn't unfathomable to imagine, say, Wemby and Holmgren one day being on the same team.  Lu Dort, at the 2 (and listed at 6'4") is the shortest starter in OKC.  Just something to think about, once again headed into next season.  If you want to beat these guys, throwing all your disposable assets at Desmond Bane (listed at 6'5", tho he obviously isn't that tall) probably isn't the (complete) answer.

SHOUTOUT TO JOSH GIDDEY

I always wonder how it feels to be a starter on a team, get traded, and then the very next season the team wins a championship, like what happened to DeMar DeRozan.  Well, the same thing just happened to Josh Giddey, whom the NBA world seems to have more or less forgotten about (probably by design, all things considered).  Those two situations were kinda different because, I don't think anyone would argue that DeRozan is better than Kawhi.  But with Giddey, it's not like Caruso isn't necessarily better - a better fit in OKC, yes, but probably not better all-around.

That was just one of a couple of shrewd moves the Thunder made last offseason to get to this point.  It'll be interesting to see what they do this summer, if anything, but even moreso with the Pacers.  I don't envy Indiana, because one of the worst predicaments you can be in as an NBA team chasing a championship is reliant on a superstar who is, well, unlucky health-wise.  It's funny because, if you would have asked me just a week ago, I was on the verge of even concluding that Tyrese is blessed type shit.  But this goes to show how you can't take nothing for granted.

2025 NBA Finals Ruminations (Game 5)

SGA is MVP.  The reason I'm pointing that out is because he received the MVP treatment at the end of Game 4 - so much so that even the opposing coach had to defend the refs.  But he is MVP.  Out of all the players in the league, Shai is entitled to that treatment, so to speak.

The thing tho is that Game 4 shifted the momentum of the series.  Of course, I can't say that the Pacers would've won if Shai wasn't receiving somewhat generous calls or non-calls down the stretch.  I don't like playing what if.  But let me just say that, up until Game 5, OKC never definitively established themselves as the dominant team, as everyone, including myself, was expecting.  I wasn't expecting them to dominate Indy like they did Minny, but still, niggas was struggling.

Shai was once again magnificent in Game 5, but the man who really led the charge, who was also instrumental during crunch time in Game 4, was Jalen Williams.  SGA recently made a comment where he said he understood the value of a second fiddle when it comes to winning a championship.  Williams is like the second coming of Scottie Pippen.  And what people don't say is that there were times, even if not so often, when Pippen played better than Jordan.

As for Tyrese Haliburton, I sorta see him becoming like a Ben Simmons.  But that's not to say the series is over - far from it.  During these Finals, it's like you can feel the homecourt advantage.  Look at how Haliburton shrinks in OKC.  But in Indy, it's a different story.  And as for Pascal Siakim and even T.J. McConnell, you know, those types, dudes don't give AF.  Try to tell them they don't belong on the big stage or that the Thunder are flatout better.

SHOUTOUT TO AARON NEISMITH & CHET HOLMGREN

Also shoutout to Aaron Neismith, who once again had a ridiculous dunk, this time on Chet Holmgren.  Remember that Aaron Gordon banged it on Chet also.  The 2025 NBA Playoffs have been no joke.

I like Holmgren, because even though he's young and skinny, he's not afraid of the post or playing defense.  It's players like him who are reminding the rest of the NBA that size does matter.  And you know, he's like the Kukoc of the team, so to speak.  But wait until Williams or SGA go down, and then you'll see how valuable he is.

All things considered, that's probably the biggest advantage the Thunder have over Indy - depth.  I can't even call Myles Turner overrated, because I never really heard anyone big him up anyway, at least not in the last five years type shit.  And unless dude turns into Shaq during these last two games, I'm really interested to see how much Indy is going to offer him this summer.  Yeah, let him go to Detroit or whatever team is dumb enough to throw a shitload of money at Myles.

KEVIN DURANT IN "THE DIVA BLUES"

Speaking of Detroit, if there's one team in the NBA I'd like to see KD go to, without them giving up too much in return, it's the Pistons.  Talk about instant contenders.  And it's interesting that there doesn't seem to be any team out there, not even the lowly Spurs or the starchasing Knicks, that seem overly interested in him except, based on reports, Minnesota which, if I were them, I wouldn't give up Randle for Durant.  Giving up Randle or Reid or any of those guys would sorta defeat the purpose.  Gobert, if they can get rid of him, would make more sense, even though that would leave a big gaping hole in the middle.  And now, looking at the way OKC is dominating the paint, you remember the value of interior D.

NBA teams have been incepted and are no longer enamored by divas.  They know that KD has now been at the center of two failed superteams, the latter more disappointing than the first.  They see how trying to placate an over-the-hill Lebron has destroyed what has traditionally been the best braintrust in the NBA.  So, good luck KD.  If you haven't already, learn how to concede the point.