This is Almost Had It. I look at teams in a certain period of time that were contenders for the NBA championship but somehow fell short of the big prize. There is no shame on being an excellent playoff team year after year but what went wrong that they fell short of a championship?
What could have been…
(PHOTO CREDIT: Layne Murdoch/Getty Images.)
If you keep up with the National Basketball Association, then you should know that the Oklahoma City Thunder had a ton of promise for much of the 2010s. After all, they had draft picks that turned out to be the best players in the league. And even when some left via trade and free agency, General Manager Sam Presti swung some deals to get some more excellent players.
Too bad that the Thunder never really got another chance after a shot at the 2012 NBA Championship. Nothing is guaranteed in life. And that includes the NBA.
We’ve heard and read about it multiple times. The Thunder drafted what turned out to be three Most Valuable Player award-winners. Kevin Durant was drafted by the then-Seattle SuperSonics at #2 in 2007 after Portland took Greg Oden, who was the consensus first pick of that draft. Russell Westbrook was taken at #4 in the following year. And then James Harden was chosen #3 in ’09.
Those three and Jeff Green led the Thunder to the playoffs in a strong 50-win 2009-10 season. They took the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers to six games in an impressive first round showing. By then, people were thinking that the Thunder could be going for the title sooner than later.
In 2011, they traded Green for Kendrick Perkins during the season to help counter the bigs in the Western Conference (when the game was still all about the interior). They made it to the West Finals before succumbing to the eventual champion Dallas Mavericks.
The next season was the shortened lockout season. The Thunder went 47-19 in that 66-game campaign and finished second in the West. After going down 0-2 against the San Antonio Spurs, they won four straight to make it to the NBA Finals. The Miami Heat-led LeBron James would oust them in quick fashion but the young Thunder had proven that they were a force to be reckoned with.
This was where things started to take a turn, though. Harden had just won the Sixth Man of the Year award. He only had a year left in his rookie deal and was due for a contract extension. Everyone expected Harden to have an expanded role. The Thunder reportedly offered him a four-year, $52 million deal. Harden didn’t go for it so instead of upping the contract that would take OKC to luxury tax territory, the Thunder traded Harden to Houston right before the 2012-13 season started.
It was quite a shock as we thought they were going to run it back with that core intact. But instead, Harden was traded to the Rockets for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb and picks that turned out to be Steven Adams (2013 first round), Alex Abrines (2013 second round), and Mitch McGary (2014 first round).
It didn’t seem to matter to OKC. Kevin Martin filled Harden’s scoring spot in the sixth man role. Durant and Westbrook continued to be incredible. The Thunder looked poised for a Finals rematch against LeBron and company as they roared to the first seed with 60 wins.
But in Game 2 of the first round (against the Rockets, no less), Patrick Beverley collided with Westbrook as a timeout was being called. Westbrook miraculously finished the game as he was diagnosed with a meniscus tear afterwards. Russ was ruled out for the playoffs and a vulnerable Thunder squad lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference Semifinals.
The 2013-14 season would see Kevin Durant take his game to another level. Westbrook was in and out of the lineup with knee injuries that would see him only play 46 games. Durant won the MVP award as he led OKC to 59 wins.
Even though it went to the maximum seven games, the Thunder exacted revenge on the Grizzlies in the first round. The Los Angeles Clippers provided the Thunder with a fight but uncharacteristic turnovers by Chris Paul helped OKC capitalize as they went back to the Western Conference Finals.
However, Serge Ibaka went down with a calf injury during that series. Originally sidelined for the rest of the postseason, Ibaka came back for Game 3 in that West Finals showdown against the San Antonio Spurs. However, the Spurs, who had revenge on their mind after their Finals loss against the Heat the previous year, were too much for OKC. They took advantage of Ibaka being out by winning the first two games and eventually closed the series out in six. It left the people wondering once again what would have happened had Ibaka been there the first two games.
The 2014-15 season became a lost season for OKC. Durant had a fractured foot to start the campaign. He would return in December but the injury proved to be too much for the reigning MVP. Durant would only play 27 games.
It was left to Westbrook to carry OKC. He led the league in scoring but the Thunder ultimately fell short of the playoffs with a 45-37 clip.
After replacing longtime head coach Scott Brooks with Billy Donovan, the Thunder made what ultimately was their last realistic run to the championship. Everyone knew that Kevin Durant’s free agency was looming over their heads. With Durant and Westbrook healthy, the Thunder went 55-27 in the 2015-16 season. They dispatched of Dallas in the first round and then overcame the 67-win Spurs in an impressive six-game showing. They faced the juggernaut 73-win Golden State Warriors in what was the final roadblock for a Finals return.
The Thunder puzzled the Warriors early in the series. They blew them out both times in OKC and they held a 3-1 series lead. The Warriors did win Game 5 but a monumental upset was waiting in the wings back at OKC. However, Klay Thompson stunned the Thunder with a playoff-record 11 three-pointers. His 41 points helped G. State extend the series to seven. The Warriors ended up taking care of business back in Oakland as they finished the comeback with a 96-88 win.
Durant, much to the chagrin of a lot of fans, chose to “join the enemy.” He went to the Warriors in the summer of 2016. Serge Ibaka would be dealt to Orlando for Victor Oladipo. The team would then be led by Westbrook (who decided to sign an extension with OKC with one year left in his deal) and Oladipo.
The Thunder were no longer a serious contender but it was fun to see Westbrook go after the triple-doubles. The 2016-17 season saw Russ get that rare triple-double season (it had only been done once in history; we all know what Oscar Robertson did). Westbrook led the league in scoring and won the Most Valuable Player award. The Thunder would settle into the sixth seed with that 47-35 record and be eliminated by Harden’s Rockets in the first round.
Oklahoma City made a stunning trade that netted them Paul George (in exchange for Oladipo) in the summer of 2017. And before the 2017-18 season started, they acquired Carmelo Anthony from the New York Knicks.
But they didn’t really tear up the season. Westbrook averaged his second straight triple-double season. Paul George was incredible on both sides of the ball. Anthony shot okay from three (.357) but was definitely a defensive liability. The Thunder only had one more win than the previous year. In the playoffs, they couldn’t solve the Utah Jazz. Andre Roberson missed the playoffs (only played 39 games that season), which was a huge blow because he was a key defensive cog. Anthony shot badly and George wilted in the closing game (Joe Ingles famously scored as many points as both Anthony and George in Game 6; Ingles had 12). The Thunder were once again ousted in the first round.
Anthony would be dealt to Atlanta for Dennis Schroder before the 2018-19 season. Schroder would provide an offensive boost from the Thunder’s bench. George turned in the best season of his career (finishing third in the MVP race) and Westbrook had his third straight triple-double season. The Thunder won 49 games and faced the Portland TrailBlazers in the first round. But the Blazers vanquished the Thunder in five. It was capped off by a now-iconic buzzer-beating three by Damian Lillard, right in front of George.
The Thunder would trade Paul George to the Clippers in another staggering deal. It was announced right after Kawhi Leonard chose to go to the Clippers so that definitely had something to do with it. With Westbrook left as the lone star, he was dealt to the Rockets for Chris Paul. The trade reunited him with James Harden (who won the 2018 MVP award) as those two stars try to win that elusive ring.
As for the other main Thunder players in that period? Ibaka won his championship in Toronto as he resurrected his game to compliment the aforementioned Leonard. Kevin Durant, of course, went to three straight Finals (winning two rings) with Golden State. However, he tore his Achilles in last year’s finals (against Ibaka and the Raptors, no less). He chose to sign with the Brooklyn Nets last summer but he’s not expected to play this upcoming season.
The little things and the big things. It is extremely difficult to win an NBA championship. Even if you were blessed with stars every season. On paper, the Thunder probably should’ve won two or three championships. But this is why they play the games. One moment can alter the landscape.
In the Thunder’s case, many moments altered their place in history.
Rey-Rey is on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
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