Oklahoma City’s schedule over the past two weeks had the look of the playoffs. And if the Thunder actually had started the postseason, they essentially would be the verge of their second consecutive four-game sweep. Sunday’s 92-78 obliteration of Chicago, in which the Bulls were held to one field goal in the first five minutes of the third quarter and were outscored 31-12 in the period, was noteworthy by itself. Even Russell Westbrook was shaking his head in his on-court postgame interview, unable to comprehend how well his team’s defense had performed.
But it was Oklahoma City’s sixth straight win, all against some of the NBA’s best.
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On March 21, Kevin Durant had 18 points by halftime against a team formerly considered a Western Conference contender, the Los Angeles Clippers, in a 114-91 walkover. Two nights later, Westbrook (45 points) and Durant (40 points) went the extra mile to prevail in two overtimes, surviving Kevin Love’s 51-point outburst in a 149-140 win over Minnesota.
Last week — ho hum — Oklahoma City punished Miami on national television 103-87, then went out to the West Coast to pound Portland 109-95 and the Los Angeles Lakers 102-93.
The Thunder’s late-season, postseason-style special finishes up against Memphis, another likely playoff team, on Monday and with another potential NBA Finals preview at Miami on Wednesday. With Westbrook and Durant rising well above every challenge in the last two weeks, there’s no reason to doubt they will extend their winning ways and make a legitimate claim for homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs.
Oklahoma City also can rest up after facing the Heat. The final three weeks of their regular-season slate won’t be nearly as taxing, with seven of the last 12 games coming against teams with losing records. Three contests against Sacramento couldn’t come at a better time.
“We can’t get too high on the wins, too low on the losses,” Durant told reporters after the Thunder beat the Bulls. “We’ve just got to keep working to improve.”
The Thunder have taken care of two out of three on that checklist. The trick will be managing a defeat — or two or three — as they get mentally prepared for the playoffs, which they have demonstrated themselves ready for with their play over the last couple of weeks.
– Craig Stouffer
