As I tuned in to the various New York Knicks NBA podcasts on Youtube (see below) last night after the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 129-120 beating of the team from the Eastern Conference , the same pattern of “we had this one” and “this game should have been a win” was echoed again by the visiting media. This was not only the smaller personal sites but the big media ones also, as the Thunder win another one in fine fashion. The NBA world, does understand that OKC is now one of the best teams in the Association, but the fan bases of the their opponents, including many of the media that covers the “their” teams, have not caught up that OKC is miles ahead of the previous three teams that play in the Paycom on Reno Street in OKC.
Hopefully the local media hacks in OKC have abandoned the notion that the Thunder’s expectation in 2023-24 is higher than the 40 wins that many predicted at the start of the season. Sure, sixty wins is probably out of the question, but a strong 50+ win season is not and this version of the team is just the tip of the iceberg on what they can become in the future. An NBA title, possible multiple ones, is looking at this team straight in the face.
OKC is the leader of the “new” NBA, and with a couple of other teams, Houston and Orlando in particular, are also making great strides in becoming winners in the league. OKC, the future is high end, but exciting with SGA and company blazing their way.
Feature photo: Oklahoma City forward Jalen Williams (8) celebrates a 3-point play in the fourth quarter during an NBA game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the New York Knicks at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023.
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