NBA Power Rankings: 2014-15 Western Conference Projections

1.  Oklahoma City Thunder — 61-21

Hardest month:  April  (.532)

Weakest Month:  November  (.447)

Back-to-backs:  18

Take this picture and plaster it on your wall for retrospect:  Russell Westbrook, the most athletically sound point guard the NBA has seen, missed 36 games.  Kevin Durant and Oklahoma City captured 59 wins throughout the 2013-14 regular season.

Call me asinine, call me too much of a proponent of having your starting lineup consistent … but there’s not a doubt that 67-70 wins wasn’t right in this team’s windshield last season.

Sure, Russell Westbrook gets the bad rap for not being a “true point guard.”  That can be laid to rest, as Memphis would call you and say he’s the sole reason they didn’t make the first round upset in April.  He transformed into a triple double machine towards the end of the regular season and the playoffs, and when he’s dishing the ball to teammates in a non-chaotic manner, beautiful basketball is an understatement.

Scott Brooks also receives the heat for not being versatile with his offensive sets, but signing forward swingman Anthony Morrow helps the cause for providing Durant and Westbrook for kick-out options on the perimeter.  Still, there’s not nearly enough shooting, but that’s where Jeremy Lamb (35.6 percent on 3.2 outside attempts per game) will also have to commit to helping the team grab the No. 1 seed.

Durant is extremely high on teammate Andre Roberson, who is also one of his closest friends in the locker room.  Roberson may have a larger role this season after playing just 10 minutes per game for Brooks last year, and they’ve compiled a group of young guards and forwards they can either groom, or use as trade assets.

Serge Ibaka can’t feel as if he let the team down by missing two games of the Western Conference Finals in May, as the Spurs gained the upper hand early on and never lost confidence.

It’s crunch time, in the playoffs, that holds this team back from winning their first title.  Durant somewhat crumbled in Game 6 vs. San Antonio, as did Westbrook for the early portions of the series.  If there’s a year to get there and take advantage of either a Cleveland team experiencing the Finals for the first time, or a Chicago unit that would be a close match offensively, 2014-15 is the season to make the leap.  They’ll still tell you missing a third dependable scoring option is hindering their chances, though, and it’s hard to disagree.

The Spurs no longer dread seeing Oklahoma City in a fight for the West’s crown.  We’ll have battle number three, with the homecourt being different than last year.  For Durant’s reputation and the Thunder’s chances at keeping the MVP after 2016, they better pray the roadblocks have been lifted.