OKLAHOMA CITY — Former lottery decide Josh Giddey returned to Oklahoma Metropolis on Monday night time. The reception was tame and heat. Giddey obtained constructive pregame applause, after which the Thunder went about blasting his Bulls 145-117.
Giddey spent a couple of minutes postgame greeting former staffers and teammates within the dwelling locker room. There’s zero cause for onerous emotions. Giddey was delivered a higher alternative to flourish in Chicago, and the Thunder have been delivered a plug-and-play rotation piece, Alex Caruso, who has assisted in one of the vital dominant common seasons in NBA historical past.
Severely. If the Thunder dash via the end line the following couple of weeks, they’ll sew up a powerful case as one of many 5 finest common seasons of all-time.
Monday supplied the most recent test mark. Their win over the Bulls moved them to 28-1 towards the Jap Convention. That broke the file for essentially the most cross-conference wins in league historical past. They may beat the Pistons on Wednesday and end up 29-1. Or they might lose and nonetheless end 28-2, higher than these three earlier file holders.
• 2015-16 Golden State Warriors: 27-3• 2006-07 Dallas Mavericks: 27-3• 1999-00 Los Angeles Lakers: 27-3
That’s the famed 73-win Warriors workforce, the best of these Lakers groups with Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant and a Mavericks workforce that had MVP Dirk Nowitzki however have been unceremoniously eradicated within the 2007 first spherical.
So there are cautionary tales dotted into the file books that these Thunder now inhabit. It’s a part of the rationale there’s such an outward reluctance from them to acknowledge particular significance to what they’re undertaking.
“We don’t care not one bit about any of these data,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stated. “They imply one thing, however within the grand scheme, they don’t. We’re after one factor and one factor solely. That’s what’s on our thoughts. All the pieces else we don’t care about.”
The Thunder’s 28-point win over the Bulls was their forty ninth double-digit win this season. With that, they handed the 2016-17 Warriors — Kevin Durant’s first and finest season within the Bay Space — for the second most double-digit wins ever. Assuming they get two extra (and the Pelicans and Jazz stay on the schedule), they’ll break the file of fifty set by the 1971-72 Lakers — , the workforce that employed prime Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain.
“It’s cool,” Jalen Williams stated. “That stat stuff is extra for y’all than it’s for us. That’s my solely reply. Sorry.”
Their level differential is already the most important of all time: 13.3 factors per recreation, eclipsing these West and Wilt Lakers (12.2) by a full level. Adjusting extra to the number of eras, they presently are tied with the most effective web ranking of all-time: 13.4, the identical output because the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.
These Bulls famously gained 72 video games, a storied NBA file that stood for 20 seasons earlier than the Warriors reached the 73-win mark.
The Thunder can’t attain both. Their max, with seven video games left, is 70 wins. Their remaining opponents: Pistons, Rockets, Lakers, Lakers, Suns, Jazz and Pelicans. There’s most likely a loss or two in there, particularly contemplating the lowered stakes for the Thunder and the chance they relaxation their most important guys earlier than the playoffs. However they’ve been spot resting not too long ago and are presently on a 10-game win streak. They’re 17-1 of their final 18 video games.
“Each recreation, we perceive you’re solely going to get higher or worse,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault stated. “We don’t wish to be a workforce that’s coming (into the playoffs) uninteresting as a result of we’re coasting. We wish to enhance.”
Daigneault stated this after their Saturday win over the Pacers with out both of their facilities.
“We improved tonight,” he stated. “We haven’t performed small like that in a really very long time. We dusted that off tonight very effectively. That might be one thing now we have to go to. That’s an instance.”
If the Thunder lose as soon as of their last seven video games, they’d end at 69 wins, placing them in an unique group of 5: 1996 Bulls, 2016 Warriors, 1997 Bulls and people 1972 Lakers. It might be extra regular-season wins than the Celtics have ever produced in a single season. Their franchise file is 68.
Thunder coaches and staffers are actively ignoring these feats, believing a tunnel-vision method to the work is what delivered them to this second.
However they broke character ever so barely and briefly. Daigneault and veteran ahead Kenrich Williams admitted that they acknowledged and barely celebrated their 61st win in Sacramento final week. It set an Oklahoma Metropolis period franchise file. The Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook groups maxed out at 60 wins. Daigneault introduced the workforce collectively after the sport and highlighted the accomplishment.
“One of many issues we wish to apply is gratitude,” Daigneault stated. “Whenever you get to be part of a workforce like this, that’s not everlasting or assured. The workforce deserves to rejoice when it has a particular accomplishment. That doesn’t imply you cease there. … This can be a nice group that’s had lots of success in a brief interval. So we honor the gamers and employees that got here earlier than us.”
Additionally: “A few of these guys are younger,” Daigneault stated. “(Second-year guard) Cason Wallace has solely performed on 60-win groups. It’s essential to provide him some perspective. Not that the entire thing is about Cason. But it surely’s good perspective for a younger workforce.”
The second-seeded Houston Rockets misplaced on Monday night time. They’re now 14.5 video games again of the Thunder for the primary seed. If that hole sits at 15 video games on the finish of the season, they’ll have gained their convention by the widest margin of any workforce because the 1974-75 Warriors.
When Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren missed overlapping video games as a consequence of harm this season, the Thunder went with no heart. (William Purnell / Getty Photos)
This hasn’t been finished beneath pristine circumstances both. Chet Holmgren, their franchise heart, broke his hip within the first quarter of their second loss again in early November. He missed 39 straight video games. They went 32-7 with out him. Holmgren has performed solely 25 video games this season.
Isaiah Hartenstein, Holmgren’s succesful substitute — and typically combo massive — has missed 23 video games. Their absences have overlapped. The Thunder rolled on with no heart.
Their solely loss to an East workforce, a thriller in Cleveland, included the Cavaliers going zone on them within the second half to gradual their offense. On Tuesday, Daigneault referred to as {that a} turning level, saying they’ve gotten higher towards zone since, together with in a 20-point revenge win over the Cavaliers per week later with out Holmgren or Hartenstein.
“They’re the most effective workforce within the planet proper now,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle stated.
Carlisle delivered that quote on Saturday night time after his Pacers have been run out of the fitness center when the Thunder “dusted off” their small lineup. Two days later, they went double massive and destroyed the Bulls with dimension. A few weeks in the past, they rested all their starters towards Portland and Philadelphia gained by 18 and 33. Aaron Wiggins, seventh on their workforce in minutes per recreation, scaled up each nights and scored 30 and 26 factors. He additionally had a 41-point night time in February.
“It’s spectacular with all of the lineups we’ve had on the market,” Holmgren advised The Athletic. “However you possibly can ask anybody within the locker room — particularly in the event you ask Coach — (the historic common season) will not be what we’re centered on. It’s concerning the larger image. Who was the workforce that held these data earlier than? The one ones you bear in mind are those who did one thing with it.”
That one thing could be a title. Most on this realm have gained it. Some didn’t. Holmgren is right. None of it will matter in Might. Their historic level differential and web ranking gained’t spook a veteran workforce. Their 28-1 file towards the East doesn’t imply something in the event that they’re down 2-1 in a collection, attempting to resolve a selected matchup towards a particularly fierce convention opponent.
But it surely’s onerous to disregard the spectacular and unique firm they hold with this type of regular-season résumé.
(Prime photograph of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring towards the Bulls: Alonzo Adams / Imagn Photos)
