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The Oklahoma City Thunder are still on the road to winning a championship, and things are not going to get any easier for them. In their second-round matchup, they'll have to go up against the Denver Nuggets, who have been one of the better teams in the league over the past few seasons.
That shouldn't bother the Thunder, who were arguably the best team in the league this season, but they may have an issue as the remainder of the playoffs continue, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
“The Thunder went 68-14 during the regular season. However, they struggled against the remaining West playoff teams. The Thunder were 63-8 against the rest of the NBA, but just 5-6 against these three opponents,” Siegel wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The Thunder split their series against the Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves, and loss their series 1-2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Many people are still wondering if the Thunder have what it takes to make a deep playoff run, and the teams in their way have enough experience to get past them.
The Nuggets just won a championship two seasons ago, and the Warriors have the most playoff experience among all the teams left in the Western Conference. The Timberwolves just made it to the Western Conference Finals last season, but the Thunder have only made it to the second round.
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Thunder preparing for the Nuggets in second round
When asked if watching the Nuggets face the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round will help the Thunder in the second round, head coach Mark Daigneault shared the team's process.
“It gives you a great understanding of how they play against the Clippers, but it doesn’t give you a great understanding of how they play against us,” Daigneault said. “It’s something we can learn from, but this series will have its own face, and unfold in its own way. Like every other series, we have to be prepared, understand the things that aren’t going to change, and then be able to adapt to the things that are.”
This is probably one of the more anticipated matchups in the second round because of Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, two players who have the best odds of winning MVP this season. This will be a true test for the Thunder, and if they can get past the Nuggets, it's a good chance they can make it all the way to the NBA Finals.
