When the Oklahoma City Thunder traded for Carmelo Anthony and Paul George, the thought was the team was going to be a force to be reckoned with in the NBA.

Those two players, along with Russell Westbrook and Steven Adams, would make a core so dynamic, so powerful, it would immediately catapult them into the upper echelon of the league.

In parts of the season, however, the Thunder have not been at full strength. George missed a few games, as has Andre Roberson. That, coupled with the team struggling as it finds its way with a slew of new players, has contributed to a 27-20 record.

But since the start of December, when all five of the team's starters (Wesbrook, Roberson, George, Anthony and Adams), the Thunder have been downright lethal, per Royce Young of ESPN.

And it's not just the staters. They lead the charge, but as a team the Thunder have picked it up in all facets of the game since Dec. 1, including a dominant record over that stretch, per Young.

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Those numbers are great across the board. The Thunder, even though they may not have the type of record a team with that kind of talent should, are making a name for themselves in the last two months.

George has found is shot, Anthony has accepted his role, Westbrook is doing Westbrook things, and the other players are following their lead. It's been interesting to watch this team blossom in this recent stretch.

It'll be even more interesting to see what happens after the All-Star break, and how strong it looks heading into the postseason.