NBA Power Rankings: Playoff Edition

149. <p>Can the Thunder hold a late-game lead in the NBA Playoffs?</p> <p>That is the central question with regard to this year’s Oklahoma City squad, as they have been historically brutal in the fourth quarter for the duration of the 2015-2016 season. To put it in simple terms, the Thunder have blown leads in more than a dozen fourth quarters this year, and on the whole, Oklahoma City is a 55-win team that has been <em>outscored</em> in the closing period by allowing 107.0 points per 100 possessions defensively.</p> <p>The casual fan probably would not recognize that unless they heard it somewhere or saw something anecdotally, but Oklahoma City has a real issue in putting games away. Of course, it helps that the Thunder do have two of the best five players on the planet in Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.</p> <p>That is what makes Billy Donovan’s exceedingly dangerous, as the possibility of that two-man show lighting up the opponent is enough to scare anyone. Durant and Westbrook helped to build those numerous leads, and from a match-up perspective, it would be easy to argue that the Thunder actually fare better against the Warriors than even the Spurs can claim.</p> <p>Can Oklahoma City run quality offense late? Can they get stops when they need them? We have no idea, but if they can put it all together, watch out.</p>. (55-27). Previous: . Oklahoma City Thunder. 3. team