Thunder win now, cultivate hope for future
Kevin Durant? Jeff Green? Who needs those bums?
Oh, I’m just kidding. Durant and Green are no bums, of course. What’s more, their team definitely needs the two young stars to get healthy and return to the line-up.
It just doesn’t seem that way.
Now, that I’m not kidding about.
The Thunder is on a three-game winning streak — yes, winning streak — without Durant and Green. It won the first of the three games with Green, but the last two have come without the services of either player. Durant has been hobbled by an ankle sprain, Green by a bad back.
With those two on the bench, it was impossible to think that the Thunder would be competitive, much less win a few games. But then, it beat Dallas on Monday and Washington on Wednesday. Neither opponent is an NBA juggernaut, but the Thunder have trotted out a few line-ups during these past couple of games that looked like NBA Developmental League squads.
And still, the Thunder has won.
Sure, it’s a testament to the guys who are available. Russell Westbrook. Nenad Krstic. Nick Collison. Kyle Weaver. Thabo Sefolosha.
It’s a testament, too, to the coaches. Scott Brooks continues to impress.
But really, this is a reminder about just how slim the differences are in the NBA. Teams aren’t that far apart, not even the best and the worst teams. The difference might be one player, maybe less. The Thunder may look light years behind the Lakers or the Cavaliers or the Celtics, but in reality, this squad isn’t nearly that far behind. Add another piece to the puzzle, or improve a piece that’s already here, and this could be a playoff team in the next year or so.
I’m not kidding about that either.
Maybe this three-game winning streak has me a bit overly optimistic. But the truth is, what this little run should have everyone is hopeful. In these games lies hope. Hope for the Thunder. Hope for the future.
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