Wednesday was a day to forget for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
First, OKC coach Scott Brooks announced that 2014 NBA MVP Kevin Durant will miss the next one to two weeks with the foot injury that has kept him out since Feb. 19. Then, the Los Angeles Clippers blew the Thunder out 120-108 in Oklahoma City, dropping Brooks’ squad to ninth place in the Western Conference.
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At this point, it’s not all that far-fetched to think that Oklahoma City will finish the season in that No. 9 slot and miss the postseason for the first time since 2009.
Durant’s newest injury timetable is a huge blow to this Thunder team. At the very minimum, he will miss the next four games. At most, he could miss eight games. Five of those eight games come against teams currently in position to make the postseason.
While Oklahoma City has won of six of 10 games during Durant’s most recent absence and Russell Westbrook has ascended into a major MVP contender, the dirty little secret of the Thunder is that they are starting to feel the absence of KD.
The Thunder have lost four of their last seven games. Just as alarming: they haven’t looked particularity good in the three wins. OKC beat a terrible Los Angeles Lakers squad by just seven, an even worse Philadelphia 76ers team by five in overtime and narrowly defeated the struggling Toronto Raptors by four.
The Thunder miss the Slim Reaper, and understandably so. This is not a team that possesses a great deal of depth and Durant’s injury has forced Westbrook to carry them by himself. He’s played incredible, but he can only do so much and the Thunder aren’t performing like a playoff team right now.
Unfortunately for Oklahoma City, its biggest competition for the Western Conference’s No. 8 seed, the New Orleans Pelicans, are playing like a team worthy of postseason basketball.
The Pelicans are 8-2 in their last 10 and 4-1 since Anthony Davis’ return from a shoulder injury, which includes a win over the Memphis Grizzlies and a double-digit road win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Many NBA fans have long operated under the assumption that the Thunder would somehow, someway find a way into the playoffs. But, in light of the Durant news and the recent play from New Orleans and Oklahoma City, the Pelicans can be slept on no longer.
Going beyond the fact that Durant is missing a number of future games, he might not be in playoff form immediately upon his return. Even if KD returns at the shortest end of the 1-2 week timetable, he’ll have missed one month of game action.
It may take some time for the MVP to get into his groove, which is time the Thunder may not be able to afford if the Pelicans are able to increase their lead over OKC as Durant continues to sit.
The Thunder with a healthy Durant and Westbrook would arguably be the most dangerous No. 8 seed in NBA history. However, more than ever before, the focus shouldn’t be on what this team can do while in the playoffs, but rather if they can make it.
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