BREAKING: NBA icons predict which team from the Western Conference will advance to the NBA Finals.
With Gordon Hayward acquired at the trade deadline, the Thunder’s cumulative postseason experience would have been 30 games.
For the Sixers a few years ago, Isaiah Joe averaged two minutes per game over the course of 11 games, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (13) and Luguentz Dort (six) account for the majority of them.
This OKC club is that young.
However, the Thunder (38-17), ranked second, are still dominating teams with winning records, which is amazing for a young club.
On Thursday, the Thunder blew out the Clippers 129-107 to improve to 2-1 on the season against Kawhi Leonard’s team. They also own winning records against the Nuggets (3-1), Celtics (1-0), Suns (1-0), Knicks (1-0), Cavaliers (2-0) and Warriors (3-1).
The Thunder’s ability to put away good teams has caught the attention of two NBA legends — Shaquille O’Neal and Vince Carter.
On Thursday’s edition of “Inside the NBA” on TNT, Shaq and Carter explained why they are picking the Thunder to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals in June.
“I think OKC is a scary, scary team,” Carter said. “Maybe the just don’t know any better, and they’re playing… they all fall in line. They know who their guy [SGA] is. They are active, young and athletic. They just play hard together. I think OKC’s the team to watch. They can really come out of the West.”
When reminded by Kenny Smith of the Thunder’s limited playoff experience, O’Neal stressed that OKC can go against the grain and upset veteran ball clubs.
“The way they’re playing, they can [beat seasoned teams],” O’Neal said of Thunder. “I’m giving Denver the respect because they’re the champions, but I like OKC.”
In addition, the 2023–2024 Thunder would become the youngest squad in the NBA Finals since the 2011–12 OKC team, which included James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Russell Westbrook. This is assuming that O’Neal and Carter’s forecasts come true.