Thunder have the firepower, signature win to show for it
Impressive rout of Warriors proof OKC can be force in West hierarchy
OKLAHOMA CITY — The differences between the two visits Golden State made here last season and the one the team made Wednesday night were easy to see.
Gone was the cauldron of intensity and anger that awaited the Warriors — and, specifically, this state’s former favorite son Kevin Durant. In its place was a more typical — though vocal — home fan base.
Part of that change undeniably can be traced to the simple passage of time, which allows for the memories from Durant’s eight spectacular seasons with Oklahoma City to transcend the bitterness associated with his departure. But a larger part comes from the obvious differences in the team Durant left behind a year ago to the one that resides here — differences that were obvious to anyone watching as the Thunder routed the Warriors 108-91 in front of a sellout crowd at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Anthony, George a plus
Gone are the days when the two teams step on the court with Golden State holding a massive talent advantage. Thanks to the arrival of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony in a pair of blockbuster trades this offseason, Oklahoma City can credibly claim to have as much firepower as any team in the NBA — or, at least, any team this side of the Warriors.
The proof came on the court Wednesday night. Last season, the Thunder were trounced the four times they played Golden State, looking as if they had no business being on the same court with the Warriors. And, from a talent perspective, they didn’t.
But now they do, and they showed as much in this one. Westbrook’s name is who NBA fans around the country discussed as they sat down to celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday — both for his forehead-toforehead jawing match with Durant in the third quarter and for his spectacular line of 34 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in 37 minutes.
The difference between this year’s OKC team and last year’s, though, is that last year the focus was only going to be on Westbrook no matter what happened. Now, with George (20 points, 11 rebounds) and Anthony (22 points) playing alongside him, the Thunder can do more than just give the ball to Westbrook and get out of the way.
And that is why they have a chance to be a contender in the Western Conference this season, instead of the one-man sideshow they were a year ago.
“First and foremost, this was a great team win, a great team victory,” Anthony said. “I think tonight shows who we can be, who we want to be, and who we think we can be.”
Coming into this game, Oklahoma City found itself in a rut. It had lost six of its previous nine games — with five of those losses coming after losing a double-digit lead.
But it should be pointed out OKC’s underlying metrics — the Thunder rank 16th in offense, third in defense and fifth in net rating — are right in line with those of the Boston Celtics.
Help for Westbrook
In other words, the Thunder are every bit the team they came into the season billed as. George, who was terrific Wednesday night, coming up with 10 of Oklahoma City’s 27 deflections on his own, and Anthony give the Thunder the kind of dynamism at both ends the team used to have when Westbrook and Durant were tearing the opposition apart during their eight years together here but clearly lacked last season.
Westbrook might have rode that solo act to a historic season, becoming the first player to average a tripledouble in more than half a century and winning the league’s MVP award, but Oklahoma City never had a chance to be a truly competitive team. That showed in the Thunder’s four blowout losses to the Warriors and especially showed in their five-game loss to the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs.
So OKC general manager Sam Presti went out and pulled off two stunning trades, landing George on the eve of free agency and then Anthony on the eve of training camp. Now, along with rugged center Steven Adams, the Thunder are back to the team they were two years ago again.
“The effort, the intensity, the way we played … that’s how we need to play,” coach Billy Donovan said.
When Durant chose to leave Oklahoma City and sign with Golden State, it seemed like the Thunder’s days of competing with the Warriors n any kind of equal footing were over. The gap had grown too large. But thanks to the acquisition of George and Anthony this summer, it has closed enough to allow everyone here to realistically think they have a chance.
That is why the animus toward Durant has lessened. Now, when the two teams take the floor, it is about the basketball again. The Thunder proved that Wednesday night.