In an arms race between two powerhouses, the Oklahoma City Thunder were the most recent to blink. They saw a 12-game win streak end in a 119-109 loss to the Boston Celtics. Just like that, their first-place lead over the San Antonio Spurs has dwindled to two with nine games to go.
Looks like we’re going to have an epic finish to the regular season. The Thunder and Spurs are a combined 32-4 since the NBA All-Star break. OKC is 15-2 and San Antonio is 17-2. That has caused the top of the West standings to change very little despite the absurd win rates by both teams.
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Finally, there was a change. The Thunder couldn’t muster up enough offense and defense in their loss to the Celtics. It was the last game of a season-long five-game road trip for OKC. Meanwhile, the Spurs took care of business against the tanking Memphis Grizzlies on the same night.
Examining both teams’ schedules, the Thunder have the tougher road ahead. Considering how paper-thin their margin is, they can afford one, maybe two, more losses the rest of the way. The bright side is that their matchup against the Celtics was the toughest test left.
Still, the Thunder will have to truly earn the first seed — unlike last year, when they had it in the bag with a month to go. While losing to Boston isn’t a catastrophic result, it does chip away at some of the breathing room it previously had.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t afraid to admit how important the first seed is. He had 33 points and eight assists in the loss as the rest of OKC failed to show up. Not only is homecourt advantage important for their back-to-back aspirations, but falling to second place could open the door for Victor Wembanyama to make a late run to nab an MVP award.
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“It’s very important. Not just in the West, in the whole playoffs. We needed Game 7 at home against Denver — which is at the top of the West. If you want to come out of the West, you’re going to have to beat them. We needed it against Indiana to win a championship,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s as important as everything. Every team in the NBA that makes the playoffs knows that.”
We’ll see how the cookie crumbles. For now, you can guarantee that the Thunder will experience a high-stress final three weeks of the regular season — something they weren’t able to say last year. Perhaps the high-leverage basketball will do them some good. After all, this is the healthiest OKC has been all season with a full roster available.
Nice to hear Gilgeous-Alexander admit how important the first seed is. He could’ve downplayed the possibility of the Thunder falling to two, but a potential 2026 Western Conference Finals with the Spurs could be determined by who gets more games in their own gym.
“Personally speaking, I like it. I think last year, I had too much time off before the playoff game and the last game I played in the regular season. So I think I was a little bit rusty going into the playoffs. I just love to play. I get a chance to play a few more games, which will be fun,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Just trying to take the right steps every game. Just take what the situation gives us. Last year, we were in a more fortunate situation. This year, San Antonio is close behind us, so we don’t have that luxury.”
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander puts it bluntly — OKC Thunder need first seed