For most teams, the NBA All-Star weekend is the perfect time to rest and recharge and get ready for the final push towards the NBA Playoffs. For the Oklahoma City Thunder, though, the break came at a terrible time.
OKC has had a pretty bumpy season to say the least, having gotten off to a 4-12 start as Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant missed time of the season due to injury. They did manage to claw their way back to a respectable record after going 11-5 in the next 16 games after the pair returned; however, they weren’t able to maintain after the New Year, going 7-7 in January.
Amid all that inconsistency, a few blowouts and some head-scratching losses (seriously, the New York Knicks?), doubt as to whether this team actually had what it takes to win started creeping in, to the point where the Oklahoman’s Barry Tramel questioned how good the Oklahoma City Thunder are, despite the fact they boast two bona fide superstars:
"We keep waiting for the Thunder to click. For the light to come on. For this team to kick into gear and play like it has the previous four seasons. Maybe it’s time to admit the click isn’t going to happen. The light’s not going to come on. This Thunder team just isn’t that good.The latest evidence came Wednesday night in Gotham City, where the Knickerbockers, who with a defeat would have left Madison Square Garden with the NBA’s worst record, beat the Thunder 100-92."
Apparently the team was listening.
OKC has been on fire since then, going 5-1 thus far in February with the only loss at the hands Anthony Davis’ last-second heave.
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As you would expect, Durant and Westbrook have been leading the pack and at times they’ve simply been unstoppable. KD missed the first couple of games but came back strong, shooting 51.6 percent from 3-point territory and 54 percent overall en route to averaging 30.5 points per game, including a 40-point explosion against the Denver Nuggets.
Incredibly, though, Westbrook has been even better. He has been a triple-double threat in every game as shown by his averages of 31.2 points, nine assists and 8.5 rebounds in addition to hounding defenders for almost two steals per game.
That’s not to say the pair are the only ones doing the heavy lifting. Several Oklahoma City players have stepped up, with Mitch McGary arguably being the biggest surprise. The rookie had his breakout game against the Los Angeles Clippers as he finished with a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double in just 23 minutes.
He then followed that up with 17 points and 10 rebounds against Denver.
Too bad his welcome to the big leagues didn’t last that long since he fouled out in his third major appearance versus the Memphis Grizzlies. At least Nick Collison stepped up to provide 15 points off the Thunder bench, the most he’s scored since December 2010.
Nonetheless, both players’ production provided a much needed boost off the OKC bench. The Thunder second unit ranks a very mediocre 15th in scoring, despite featuring the likes of Reggie Jackson, Dion Waiters and Anthony Morrow, among others, hence any extra help is a huge bonus.
The next time the Oklahoma City Thunder hit the court will be on Feb. 20 against the Dallas Mavericks and the biggest the concern will be keeping the momentum through the All-Star break. The team will have had an eight-day layoff, which is why the All-Star break came a bad time for them because it’ll be difficult to get back into the swing of things.
Then again, perhaps it could be just what the team needs to knuckle down and refocus on the playoff race. They are currently on the outside looking in, still trailing the eighth-place Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference.
Plus, it gives Dion Waiters (sprained ankle) and Steven Adams (broken hand) a chance to heal without missing games.
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