With the NBA at the All-Star break, teams around the league have a fairly good idea at this point if the postseason is a possibility or if they are playing toward the future.
The Thunder are currently in third place in the Western Conference at 37-20, just two games back of the Denver Nuggets in second place and four games back of the Golden State Warriors in first place.
Oklahoma City won 11 out of their last 13 games prior to the break and have played arguably their best basketball of the season to this point behind a top-five defense and the stellar play of Paul George.
While the team could improve a few things, the season has been a fairly successful one for the Thunder, all things considered, something that George agrees with.
We got a lot on this team right now. I’m not sure what’s missing. We’re not in The Finals. We’re not in the playoffs. I think what we’ve got is enough. Me and Russ can shoulder it, and we’ve got a lot of help around us, a lot of support.
Of course, true success for teams is measured on being the last team standing in the playoffs so it may be too early to determine if the season has been successful or not but the Thunder have played well to this point.
After losing in the first round of the playoffs last year to the Utah Jazz, the Thunder seem poised to make a deep playoff run, something that hasn’t happened in quite a few years.
Given the way that George has played this season, it seems reasonable to believe the Thunder can be one of the most dangerous teams in the league and it will be on the players to keep it going in the playoffs.
Quote courtesy of NBA PR
