Stiles Points: How Far Will the Oklahoma City Thunder Go in the 2024 NBA Playoffs?

The Oklahoma City Thunder are not your typical No. 1 Seed, so how far will they go in the NBA Playoffs?

Nov 1, 2023; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder are not your typical No. 1 seed. They are young, lack size and have relatively no playoff experience lining their rotation. This is simple a group of kids, learning how to play together, in the NBA and dominating.

As the Western Conference was billed as the toughest conference we have ever seen - and made good on that promise - the spunky Thunder ripped off 57 wins en route to the No. 1 seed, the youngest to pull off such a feat.

All season long, the Thunder have been uncommon. A team this young is not supposed to navigate an 82-game season this well. A team without traditional size is not supposed to win 57 games. A graduate assistant turned G League coach is not supposed to transform into the Coach of the Year. You are not supposed to be able to draft two different cores across two different decades that look set up for sustained success and all the star power you can handle. At each turn, Oklahoma City has bucked trends and broken the mold.

Each time the media or fans try to put a cap on this team, the Thunder shatter the ceiling placed over them. Yet, this AAU NBA team is facing another one: The playoffs. Surely this will be a different animal as crowds get louder, whistles get swallowed and the lights get brighter.

Outside of NBA history, there is no reason to think that will be the case for this Oklahoma City Thunder team. You don't luck into 57 wins catching teams off guard by lurking in the shadows of the prairies. The Thunder are legitimately one of the best squads in basketball.

So how far will the wet behind the ear Thunder go this postseason?

With their first-round matchup set against the New Orleans Pelicans, it seems extremely likely the Thunder will clinch their first second-round appearance since Kevin Durant sported a Thunder jersey. Oklahoma City will make quick work of the Pelicans dispatching them in five games.

In round two, the Thunder will face off with either the Dallas Mavericks or L.A. Clippers in a can't-miss series. Put the kids to bed and lock in for this one no matter the opponent. However, give the edge to the Mavericks over the Clippers with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving putting on a show in LaLa Land to take control of the series right out of the gate.

As the two teams dance back and forth down I-35, the Oklahoma City Thunder with home court advantage and enough shot-making and defense to outlast the Mavericks pull off another surprise run for the National NBA audience making it to the Western Conference Finals after a seven-game series.

On the other side of the Bracket, after the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets meet in the second round, the Nuggets down the Timberwolves with the best player in the world leading the way to another trip to the West finals for the Rocky Mountain ballers.

In the Western Conference Finals, despite having home-court advantage, the Thunder fall in six to the Denver Nuggets who protect home court and steal one in Bricktown.

While this sounds like lofty goals for the young Thunder, who are still playing with house money, you can not pick and choose which parts of NBA history to listen to.

Styles make fights in this star-driven league is all you hear around this time. The Oklahoma City Thunder have one of the best coaches in the sport, an adaptive roster and one of the best offensive engines the game has to offer.

With more talent than New Orleans and more depth than Dallas with the required shot makers to win games late, the Thunder will be able to ride into the Western Conference Finals for a matchup with the reigning champs in their initial playoff push.

Stiles Points

• Holmgren has been stellar with rest this season, coming off of six off days, it seems likely the Thunder rookie will have a massive impact in this series. In games following two days off, which will be littered throughout the playoffs, the rookie big man averages 19 points and eight rebounds while shooting 54 percent from the floor, 42 percent from beyond the arc and 77 percent at the charity stripe.
• Giddey against the Pelicans this season is shooting 46 percent from beyond the arc and averaging 14.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.7 rebounds per tilt. The 21-year-old will be a key piece for the Thunder in round one.
• NBA Legend Charles Barkley picked the OKC Thunder to sweep the New Orleans Pelicans on TNT's pregame show Friday.
• An interesting discovery was made by Ben Kaplan while researching for his book Pipeline to the Pros, he uncovered a letter 16-year-old Sam Presti wrote pleading to the Celtics to rebuild and select Jason Kidd in the NBA Draft. Years later, Presti has pioneered two successful rebuilds as the second era of Thunder basketball is set to tip off their postseason run primed to span another decade.
• Is there a better sports stretch than the first NBA Playoffs weekend? It is a truly magical experience that you should all enjoy this weekend.

Song of the Day: The Waiting by Tom Petty.

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