Can the Thunder Really WIN 75 Games?

Can the Thunder Really WIN 75 Games?

thoughts on the Oklahoma City Thunder being 20 and one? I just think that they look like a team that’s, you know, a championship caliber team. They if you think about their defense, which now adding Jay Dub back to the fold, I I I I think that they’re since they gotten Jay Dub back, I think they top five in the league in defense, top top three in the league in defense, something like that. Um I’m on record. I think that they they were right they were right there, but I think they’re better now, right? But I I think that they’re better now. Um, I’m on record saying I think Kase Wallace, y’all dudes talked to me about Lou Dort this and about Chad that I think Case Wallace is gonna make the whole league defensive team this year. I think he’s been a great point of attack defender. I think he’s been a great on ball defender. One of the things that I really dig about him in terms of his disruption is how he gets open court rips. Open court rips change momentum and I think that I think Wallace has done a great job at that. That Phoenix game that you talked about, Ron, just so you be clear, I think I think SGA had uh I think he had what what he had 36 in 37. Just so you know, he had 20 going into the fourth. He he only had 20 going into the fourth and he just got going. And and once he got going, I mean, it’s it’s it’s it’s pretty special to have a bucket getter like that. And then to add Jay Dub back into the fold, I mean, this Oklahoma City team looks like a championship caliber team. They look awesome. Real talk, are these dudes going to win 75 games? 75 is uh pushing it, you know. And matter of fact, good morning to everybody. Um, the way they going, they gonna go the way they going, they gonna go 81 and one right now. 81. I do think they break the record. I I do think they can break the record if they gun for it cuz doing stuff like that, you have to like be intentional about it. You don’t just, you don’t, you know, just so happen to get 75 wins. You have to try to go out there every night and accomplish that. And so my question is by the time they have the the one seed wrapped up by you know midFebruary it seems the rest of the season are they going to care enough to continue to you know on that pace to get to 70 plus if they if they want to I do think they can. I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility but I I don’t know if they’re going to have the motivation to do it. Real talk. Let’s stop talking like they running away with the western guy. They’re only four games up on the Lakers right now. That’s it. Chill. Chillillill. They’re only four games up on the Lakers. Hey, chill. They’re four games up in 20 games. Yes. That means they’re on track to be 16 games up. Like that’s not You can’t just be like, “Oh, it’s only four after two games. You’re only going to be one game up on the opposition.” Like that’s not how they’re on. They’re four games up after 20 games of an 80 game season, which means by the end of the season, they will be 16 games up if they continue at this. the way if if in four months it look like the Lakers are going to win I think the the way the Lakers are playing look like the Lakers are going to win like a big margin it look like the Lakers can win 60 60 plus games but to your point real talk if I don’t think that the I don’t think the Oklahoma City Thunder will take their foot off the gas especially when teams like the Lakers are playing like they playing cuz the Lakers can win 65 games this year is that ridiculous to think I don’t think they’re winning Mars just make sure we clear on the pace Hey, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. They going right now. Sure, sure. You just told me. You just told me that the way that the Lakers are going right now, they could win 60 plus games host to 65 games. Very much like what happened with the Golden State Warriors in 16. Just so y’all know, San Antonio won 67 games that year. As good as as good as the Lakers will not be winning 60 plus games this year, Charles. Sure, they could. They could. They could. They could. Why not, Swiper? Why can’t they win 60 games? I just I think they’re But I mean, this is that’s when you get into the the minutia. I think they’re a really good team, but 60 is just that’s a lot. That’s I mean that’s a lot of games. Chill. That’s all I’m saying. That’s a lot of games. And they’re on pace to win those games. No, but yeah. I just I don’t think they may maybe maybe I’ll leave I’ll leave City is on pace to win the games that they’re playing. What? And and with the Lakers because they’re they’re they’re they are structured completely different and the Lakers are more dependent on things to go well for them than OKC. You mean the best scorer in the league? No. Scoring. See, that’s the thing. scoring. Scoring is traditionally score in the league is in OKC. The scoring traditionally doesn’t I don’t know real talk. Scoring traditionally does not be that’s not the thing that carries you to that kind of win profile. Typically it’s defense. So the issue is you have to be able to function high level on both ends and you have to have something that I think sells you on a game night in night out basis. OKC is relying on alltime great defense every night no matter what. rain, sle, snow, cold, hot, great team, bad team. They have the best defense of the era every single night. And then that’s on top of really high level role play from Chad Hong, from AJ Mitchell, from Kase Wallace, whoever. Alltime great scoring from Shay Gogus Alexander, really great interior defense and interior passing with Isaiah Hartinstein. Elite wing defense at all times. And then you’re rotating a influx of really good players. And shout out to my boy my my dude Matt Moore. Uh on the Buckets podcast the other day, he talked about the difference between OKC and EPM uh loss. So basically, if you take the the EPM scores for everybody on OKC, but then you take the cash that these players are making, OKC has more room to lose people in their rotation because they have a very low rate payroll because everybody’s on a rookie contract outside of Shay. And so what happens is if that you are losing players like Chet and Dub, your your roster is still dispersed because they’re all on rookie deals. You have a bunch of young players and other players on the roster that can make up for the difference. Like when they have Alice Caruso out or they have Chad Hunger out, they can always find a way to makeshift a lineup around Shay. Which is really interesting too, Swiper, because I mean we still if if we’re going to if we’re going to lose JDub, right, and we’re going to lose, I don’t know, Chad, who are we replacing these dudes with? I mean, we’re replacing these dudes. We’re we’re replacing these guys with guys who are also awesome that fit into what we’re doing. So, it’s not like it’s it’s just a plug and play or or the next man up. No, we’re replacing these guys with guys who are really good. I mean, Mitchell looks like he could possibly be the sixman. Yeah. Six man of the year and most important. Okay. But the now dude, he’s making $3 million a year. Yeah, he on the books for a little bit of money. So, here’s the problem. The problem is is that these guys these contracts aren’t forever. These deals are going to end. Well, we’re just talking about this year, though, because you’re you’re asking the difference between them and the Lakers. The Lakers don’t have that ability. They they simply don’t have the ability to do that. Yeah. Go. I will say this about the Lakers, and I was low on them coming into the season because I was worried about the defense, but I did say from the get-go that we would be an an elite offensive unit. And with those three players of Luca Reeves, and LeBron James, I do think it is very possible that the Lakers are the second best team in the West. uh that now to me is very much so on the board. I was never as high on Denver as as some other people. I don’t I don’t see them as in the same category as of OKC. I’m not of that belief. I think it’s OKC and then there’s a few teams in the West fighting for that two spot between Denver, Houston, LA, Minnesota. Those are kind of the teams in that tier that that’s fighting for that two seed. But that Laker defense is so I mean not defense, excuse me, that Laker offense is so elite. We’re putting up 120 130 regularly right now with since LeBron’s been back. And I know um you know, we’ve been playing some bottom tier teams, but it can’t be dismissed. Obviously, the step that Austin Reeves has made now makes this a very possible uh thing for us to continue being this good offensively for the entirety of the season. Yo, Swiper, I just I just want to ask you, so and this isn’t necessarily to push back because you made some fair points, but real talk is right. The Lakers have been the second best team in the West. I’m just saying like what what makes you think that they can’t keep this up? I don’t think so. and win I don’t I don’t even want to get into whether they’re the second or third best team. I just want to talk about them winning 60 games. You don’t think that their offense can carry them to 60 games? You don’t you don’t think that Luca and Austin Reeds can continue at this rate and and even with LeBron coming and winning two or three games doing LeBron things? Well, I think if you’re saying can their offense do it I mean they’re going to play against better offense at the year. So even just right now like the Lakers, so the the Nuggets, the Houston Rockets and the Knicks, I can’t remember who have the best offenses in the league right now, the Nuggets Rocket and Celtics. And then the Lakers are our fifth. So then when they start playing versus some of these other teams, then the question is going to become like offensive execution versus the other teams and then you’re going to put in the injury stuff there. You know, does lower body injuries with Luca? Do they persist? Does it happen again? You know, Austin Reeves, does he get dinged up? LeBron, how often is he able to play? But they got the fourth best offense on the court. I know. No, no. He’s asking me a question for 60 wins. I’m just I’m just telling him this. This is typically how these things work long term. And they have the four best off, but the issue is they already have injuries. DeAndre Aton just got hurt again. Like we So, I’m saying we don’t know how long that’s going to be for five games, too, by the way. But I’m saying the fourth best offense with with LeBron missing majority. And I agree. I hear you. And there but I’m with you. But there’s also like a there’s a pretty stark gap between you and the top. So, I’m I’m saying he’s he’s asking me 60 wins over the course of a year. I don’t know if they will push themselves to win 60 wins. I just don’t think that’s realistic for me. I think anywhere between 54, you know, 5 52, like 56, like somewhere around that range, that’s perfectly fine. 60 wins is just a lot. Like, I just don’t know if they’re going to actually make a push to try to win that many games. Um, Houston, Houston’s another team like if you just kind of look at where they are and like how good they’ve been, how they’ve been performing above expectation and where their offense and their defense and stuff been. They have a better 60- win profile than the Lakers do right now. Uh, but again, like I said, I think when you can rely on like high level defense consistently, more often than not, that helps you out a lot. So, I would say Houston probably has a better chance to Well, Swiper, you you’re you’ve always been a component of these high level defenses when it’s the most important. The Denver Nuggets Denver Nuggets is a prime example. this Denver Nuggets team, their defense, the year that they won the NBA championship really turned up in the playoffs. Well, I remember that Laker team when they had Shaq and Kobe, that defense was not very good during the regular season. When you got into the postseason, it got it got even better. So, I mean, number one defense in the playoffs in 01, too. That exactly one 100% they did. So, I mean, you’re a component of that, Swiper, when the turning up the defense when it matters to most. So, I can appreciate what the Lakers offense is right now because I think I think Denver leads the league. I mean, you can you can straighten me out. I think Denver leads the league in points right now. I think the Lakers are like points or like efficiency like like No, I think I think the Denver I think the Nuggets are at the top of the league in points right now today. I I don’t think it’s anybody Well, they’re the number one offense in the league. Yeah. Right now. Yeah. I don’t think I don’t think anybody scores more than them on a nightto-ight basis. With that with with that being with that being said, I feel like when we play defense when it matters the most, which is the playoffs, and I’m not going to exclude the regular season, but I feel like when you play defense when it matters the most, I mean, I feel like the Lakers got a good enough crew that they could win I I I feel like they could win 50. I I feel like they could win 60 games. I But you know, how Well, just to follow up real quick, well then what are the the Nuggets are on pace to win 60? The Rockets are on pace to win 60. The Lakers are on pace to win 60. Somebody’s got to go this way. But yeah, that’s what I’m saying. Like you’re not going to have four teams with 60 plus wins in the Western Conference. Realistically, before the season though or before the season started, cuz I I I think I was the highest on the Lakers, I I had I had the Lakers win 55 plus before the season started. Um, but for for the Nuggets though, Swiper, you even even as good as I think the Nuggets are, I think it was you that kind of were saying that you guys won’t push for 60 though, you know, like a a team like the Nuggets might might kind of reel it in and just be happy with making the playoffs. Do Do y’all think that that could be the same with the Lakers that they could maybe reel it in a little bit as well and not go for? It depends on where they are in terms of seedings. We not going to act like teams don’t duck smoke. Let’s make sure that we clear on that. And bad matchups lead to exits early in the playoffs. So, let’s not let’s let’s make sure that we’re clear when we understand that a Laker team that’s I don’t know, they got 55 wins, but instead of seeing Houston in round one, we get to see Portland in round one, we could beat them. We ain’t gonna have no problem with them. And we’ll let somebody else deal with Houston. So, yes, they might drop a couple games just off the strength of that. Yo, Mars. So, as of right now, Denver’s on pace to win 60 games. The Rockets are on pace to win 60 games. The Lakers are on pace to win 64 games to be exact, and the Thunder are on pace to go 81-1. So, realistically, best case scenario for all four of those teams, do you think they could all finish if if everything goes right for them, you think they could all finish with 60 wins, or is that just ridiculous? That means that the Western Conference got to go the other way up, Ron. Like, if if we got four teams winning 60 games, that means that the rest of the conference is garbage. And I don’t think that that’s realistic. That’s I think they’re all individually good enough to Yeah, if they went for it, they could win 60. But I don’t think they could all win 60 this season because of what it would mean about the rest of the conference. But I do think if the Lakers went for it, they could win 60. If everything went right for them and then wrong for like a lot of other teams. And then same with the Rockets, same with the Nuggets. But realistically, I probably would say none of them hit 60. But that doesn’t mean they won’t. just I wouldn’t bet on it.

The panel breaks down whether the Oklahoma City Thunder can really chase a historic 75-win season. With a young and hungry roster, OKC is pushing hard for the #1 seed while the Lakers are also looking strong with a possible 65-win pace. The Panel discuss matchups, depth, growth, and what makes this Thunder team so dangerous. If you love NBA talk, bold predictions, and team breakdowns, this video is for you. Stay tuned for a heated debate and big season expectations.

🔴 Full Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOyU-Al4lv0

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