Oklahoma City Thunder: The dynasty that wasn't

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Feb 9, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) and forward Kevin Durant (35) during the game against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /

The Oklahoma City Thunder had the brightest future in all of sports, but numerous events have prevented them from ever reaching their true potential.

The NBA playoffs start in exactly two weeks, and the clock is already running for the Oklahoma City Thunder. They aren’t winning it all this year.

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While most people would say there is no chance of the Thunder winning a championship this June, Vegas has them with the 10th-best odds in the league to win it all – but even that feels like a bit of a stretch (Vegas has them over teams like the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards).

It all just seems kind of sad, really. This was a team that had as much hype as anyone coming into the season, but now what are they? Just the Russell Westbrook show? Basically.

The Thunder have six games remaining in the regular season, and they have to look at all of those contests as must-wins. As it stands right now, the Thunder have a game lead over the New Orleans Pelicans for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. They should absolutely care about making the playoffs – but to remain in this negative state – what’s really the point?

There is no getting around it, if they make the playoffs they will play the best team the entire association has to offer in the Golden State Warriors. Who knows, maybe Westbrook can go absolutely bonkers one game and/or the Warriors simply go cold one night and the Thunder steal a game in that series. They still have positively zero chance of winning the series. It’s the sad reality of the current state of Oklahoma City.

Once the Thunder’s season officially ends, the offseason will sing the same tune from the past few seasons: why? This question comes from their loss in the 2012 Finals to the Miami Heat. Usually people are pretty down on the losing team of a championship game/series because maybe their window is closing or some other negative factor is surrounding them, but the Thunder didn’t have any of that. That Finals was a feel-good story for everyone around. LeBron James got his first NBA championship, and the Thunder were the team of the future. That aforementioned window didn’t exist for Oklahoma City, there was no limit to the heights they could reach. Sure, they just lost the Finals 4-1, but look at what they had around them: a 23-year-old Kevin Durant, 23-year-old Westbrook and a 22-year-old James Harden. It was silly how bright their future was.

But then started the long process of disappointment that has led the Thunder to this point.

Next: Good bye, James Harden

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Oklahoma City Thunder: The dynasty that wasn’t

By Andrew Ross | Apr 5, 2015