Fansided

Predicting the final records of each NBA team

By Brad Rowland

CPer Forbes, LeBron James beats out Tiger Woods for most valuable sports brand. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
CPer Forbes, LeBron James beats out Tiger Woods for most valuable sports brand. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (left) and guard Russell Westbrook (right) before the game against the San Antonio Spurs in game five of the Western Conference Finals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (left) and guard Russell Westbrook (right) before the game against the San Antonio Spurs in game five of the Western Conference Finals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /

Oklahoma City Thunder

Say hello to the number one seed in the West.

I would stop short of saying that the Oklahoma City Thunder are the “favorites” in the West, simply because the San Antonio Spurs stills exist, but from a regular season perspective, this is the class of the conference. A year ago, the Thunder managed to win 59 games while Russell Westbrook, the team’s second-best player and a top-ten player in the league, played in only 46 contests as a result of injury. It did take a superhuman effort from league MVP Kevin Durant to sustain that record, but it is a safe bet to assume some improvement with a full season from Westbrook.

Durant and Westbrook are in neck-and-neck races with LeBron/Love and Paul/Griffin for “best duo in the league” status, but at the very least, they are two of the top ten players alive, and Durant is playing at an incredible level. It may be optimistic to say that the “slim reaper” can improve on a year in which he averaged 32/7/7 with a 29.9 PER, but at only 26 years old, it isn’t insane to think that he has another gear to reach.

Aside from Durant and Westbrook, there isn’t a lot of suspense with this team from a roster perspective. Thabo Sefolosha has moved on to Atlanta, Derek Fisher is now coaching and Caron Butler is in Detroit, but no member of that trio is irreplaceable, and the Thunder invested in Anthony Morrow to add shooting. The big focus should be on Reggie Jackson, who should have every opportunity to play starter minutes alongside Westbrook, and with some added beef up front and the development of Jeremy Lamb and Andre Roberson, depth shouldn’t be an issue.

Barring another major injury, the regular season should be a breeze for Oklahoma City, and the real microscope will come on head coach Scott Brooks when the playoffs arrive.

Projected Record: 61-21, 1st in West

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