Stiles Points: Resilient OKC Thunder Bunch Poised to be West Best Again

The Oklahoma City Thunder have started its four game road trip off with three straight wins capped off by the NBA Cup win over the Los Angeles Lakers. The OKC Thunder have proven they can once again be the best in the West.

Nov 29, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) dribbles against Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

This Thunder season started with championship aspirations. visions of a parade, hanging a banner and cementing what has been a historic franchise since its 2008 relocation danced in hoop heads dreams all across Oklahoma during the preseason.

After being bounced in the second round a year ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder - who are still the youngest team in the NBA - went out and inked Isaiah Hartenstein to a massive three-year pact worth $87 million dollars to erase its size concerns. Sam Presti made the decision to move on from Josh Giddey, swapping the ill-fitting lottery pick for a two-time all-defensive guard in Alex Caruso, who fits the Thunder's system like a glove on paper.

This kicked the Thunder up a tier. From a spunky young squad with a rags-to-riches story, to a team that seems destined to dominate the league with the draft assets that quickly make them the rare rich small market team.

Just a few short weeks ago it was inconceivable to think the Thunder would be dethroned from its no. 1 spot in the Western Conference. After all, Oklahoma City rattled off 57 wins with multiple obvious deficiencies and less experience a year ago. Now, they roll out a roster that on paper is nearly flawless.

Then, Chet Holmgren took lift off in the first half of the OKC Thunder's Nov. 10 game against the Golden State Warriors, meeting Andrew Wiggins at the submit and falling down Mt. Everest...or at least Mt. Scott.

A tumble that has tabled Holmgren for a large chunk of the 2024-25 regular season, though the Thunder remain confident he will return at some point during this 82-game marathon.

As Holmgren exits the Thunder lineup, the door opens atop the Western Conference. Many wondered, opined and speculated about Oklahoma City's fate in the standings. Could they still stake its claim to the conference's top spot?

After playing a two week stretch with Jalen Williams jumping center and battling big men down low as the Thunder's lone center (in name only), Oklahoma City got some relief. The aftormentioned Hartenstein returned to the lineup after he suffered a hand fracture in the preseason which delayed his debut until Nov. 20.

The Thunder are 4-0 since Hartenstein has kicked Williams out of the center circle - including a 3-0 start to what seemed like a brutal four-game Western Conference road trip.

As Oklahoma City squeezed the life out of the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers in the final frames on national television these past two games, it became clear: The expectation for the Thunder is still to grab the No. 1 seed out West.

The Thunder became the first team since 2018 to limit the Purple and Gold to a sub-25 point final frame. This on the heels of holding the Steph-Curry-less Warriors to a dreadful 18 point showing in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's affair.

Most of the principals from Oklahoma City's preseason expectations remain true. The Thunder have an all-world, borderline historic defense. They take these regular season tilts more seriously than its opponents, on most nights hold the talent edge and are led by one of the best scorers to grace the hardwood. Couple that with a Bruce Springsteen-loving wiz kid calling the shots on the sideline and it is a recipe to rack up wins.

Despite the poor injury luck and the devestating blow that is losing a rising star, for the regular season's sake, the Thunder will be just fine. In fact, they will still earn the top seed.

Now all that is left for the Bricktown ballers is to hope that Holmgren does make his way back onto the court and into a groove before the postseason. For without the Gonzaga product in April, expectations begin to alter.

Stiles Points

• Isaiah Hartenstein continued his streak to four straight games of logging a double-double to begin his OKC Thunder tenure.
• Lu Dort got back on track offensively with a 4-for-5 effort from beyond the arc posting 14 points.
• Aaron Wiggins posted seven points off the pine for the Thunder, all needed for an offense that labored most of the night.
• Jalen Williams returned after "seeing double" on Wednesday as his night against the Warriors was cut short due to an eye injury. The Santa Clara product stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of 19 points, four rebounds, two assists and a couple of steals.
• The OKC Thunder have to figure out a way to sustain its offensive success during the middle portions of the game. On Friday, the Thunder threw a great punch getting up double-digits before sinking into a back and forth affair.

Song of the Day: Dirty Work by Steely Dan

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