OKC Thunder: Time To Panic?

Has the OKC Thunder’s title window closed?

The Oklahoma City Thunder have had one of the most up-and-down seasons around the NBA this season on and off the court.

After being indicted earlier in the week, part owner Aubrey McClendon died in a single-car crash less than 24 hours later. Assistant coach Monty Williams lost his wife last month in another car crash.

Despite dealing with all of the off-the-court adversity, the Thunder have persevered under rookie head coach Billy Donovan. OKC is third in the Western Conference with a 42-19 record, 1.5 games ahead of the surging Los Angeles Clippers.

Although the Thunder have played well for most of the season, they have scuffled as of late, blowing a couple late leads against the other contenders in the conference.

Related Story: 25 Best Players to Play for the Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder blew a 17-point fourth quarter lead to the Clippers Wednesday night after being outscored 26-5 in the final 7:25 of the quarter. Since the All-Star break, the Thunder have lost five of seven games and blown multiple late leads.

When the game has slowed down in the closing moments of the game, the Thunder offense stalls and becomes turnover-prone. In their Feb. 27 overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors, Kevin Durant had a costly turnover at the end of the fourth quarter, which allowed the Warriors to send the game to overtime.

Durant’s turnover against the Warriors was just one of the many blunders the Thunder have had lately in crunch time, which includes this gem from Russell Westbrook in last night’s loss.

As well as Westbrook has played throughout his career, making the shots in the clutch has not been one of his strong suits.

Billy Donovan was brought in over the summer to revolutionize the way the Thunder played the game. Former coach Scott Brooks’ biggest criticism was his reliance on Westbrook and Durant’s ability to play hero ball in the fourth quarter, which was part of the reason he was let go.

Donovan was supposed to bring in new offensive sets that included more ball movement and less reliance on isolation plays. Even though the Thunder currently rank second in points per game, they are still relying heavily on their two superstars to create for everyone else.

Watch any close game the Thunder play, especially in the last two minutes of the game. Three players will spot up behind the arc while opposing defenses will send double-teams at the pick-and-roll ball-handler, stopping all movement.

Instead of running a play to set up an open look for Durant, everybody on the court remains stationary and allows their defenders to take him out of the play.

More from Hoops Habit

• 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
• NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers

The Thunder know they can’t continue to play this way if they want to win a championship. Durant said his team is fooling themselves if they want to be a great team with the way they are playing in an interview with ESPN’s Royce Young.

It is abundantly clear that the current way of doing things in Oklahoma City isn’t going to get the job done. When the Thunder lost in the NBA Finals in 2012, everybody assumed they would be back soon.

Four years later, the Thunder have yet to win a championship or even make it back to that stage.

The Thunder front office has chosen to go after third-tier players in free agency and in trades rather than making a real power move, resting on their laurels and assuming they would be back simply because of their star power.

As long as Durant remains a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s roster, the title window will not totally close.

More hoops habit: The 30 Best Power Forwards of All-Time

However, their gap in the window might not be big enough to squeeze Durant’s seven-foot frame through. It’s officially time to panic in Loud City.