When the two best teams in the NBA face each other, it is expected to be an event of great importance. Suffice it to say that Thursday’s matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t live up to expectations, as OKC cruised to a 134-114 victory that wasn’t as close as even that lopsided score would indicate.
It was a game. In January. Just a week ago, the Cavs defeated the Thunder on their own floor in one of the best regular season games you’ll ever see. On paper, all the Thunder did was return the favor on their own court.
It seemed like more than that, but still, on its own, not much can be read into this result. However, as the final point on Oklahoma City’s 2024-25 resume, it is the latest reminder that the Thunder are absolutely ready to win a title. right nowand should be considered the favorite to do so.
Whether they will is another question. Who knows how the injuries will develop. The Western Conference is a wood chipper. If the Celtics are healthy, they will bring the same things to the table as OKC. But the Thunder are ready. Don’t get caught up in the “youth and inexperience” cliché.
One playoff run was experience enough. The Thunder came within a few possessions of making the conference finals last year, where I think they would have eliminated Minnesota. Even without a shred of experience, this was an honest team in the Finals last season, and it’s even better this year.
Let’s start with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who MVP is almost certain to win. If the season ended today. He is the best player and most reliable source of individual offensive creation on any of the top teams: OKC, Boston and Cleveland. On Thursday, SGA scored 40 points and eight assists in 29 minutes. He single-handedly beat the Cavs in the first quarter (15-14) and didn’t even need to play the quarter.
Now let’s talk about defense. Last year’s Timberwolves were legitimately talked about as one of the best defensive teams of all time. This year’s Thunder are giving up almost five fewer points per 100 possessions, which is a huge gap.
Oklahoma City is a turnover factory with its platoon of long, athletic, physical and aggressive wing defenders. They forced the Cavs into 21 turnovers on Thursday, resulting in 30 points for a 23-point margin in that column. They limited Donovan Mitchell to eight points.
“It felt like there were seven pit bulls out there, not five, seven,” Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said of OKC’s defense after Thursday’s loss. “They were scratching and clawing and reaching, in a good way. Their speed and athleticism, they kind of took us down. And that’s their calling card, that’s their identity. They’ve done it with a lot of teams.”
In fact, in these last two OKC-Cleveland matchups, Mitchell missed 25 of his 31 shots. The Thunder have no less than five guys who can make life hell for a scorer of Mitchell’s caliber: SGA, Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, Lu Dort and Alex Caruso. Aaron Wiggins isn’t easy either. Behind all of that, eventually, will be Chet Holmgren, the second-best rim protector in the world.
Did anyone mention Holmgren? In fact, the Thunder did this to Cleveland without Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, who was out with a calf injury. Playing without a center against a team that starts Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley should be, on paper, a death sentence. But OKC can outgrow guys capable of defending above their weight class (Williams, Caruso) and cause all kinds of problems.
The two-way versatility and depth of this team is off the charts. In the regular season, that alone will get you a long way. When you also have the likely MVP, well, you end up with what, if the season ended today, would be the best scoring differential in NBA history.
Historically, point difference has been a better indicator of championship merit than anything else, as evidenced by the fact that only three of the teams on the list above failed to win the title.
Once again, it’s impossible to say whether the Thunder will become the fourth to fall short or the 10th to make a historic point difference with a title. But as of January 16, 2025, the night they dismantled Cleveland, they earned and deserve the distinction of title favorites.