There is, of course, an obvious connection to the Play-In Tournament and the Oklahoma City Thunder. As the No.1 seed in the Western Conference, the Thunder will face the winner of the second Western Conference play-in game that will take place on Friday, April 17th. One of the Trailblazers, the Suns, the Clippers, or the Warriors will be the first step in the Thunder’s quest to be the first repeat champion in eight seasons. A collection of teams the Thunder went a combined 13-3 against.
But Oklahoma City may have ulterior motives in their viewership of the Play-In Tournament. Depending on how things shake out, OKC has the possibility of netting up to two lottery picks in what is considered by many to be a stacked 2026 NBA Draft. They own an unprotected Clippers’ first round pick from the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deal. Yes, seven years later, that deal is still the gift that keeps on giving. They also own a top-4 protected first round pick from the Philadelphia 76ers. That pick came via the trade that sent Al Horford to Philly at the beginning of the Thunder’s rebuild in 2020. For a team that just finished with the best record in the league and is a championship contender, getting even one lottery pick in a draft like this is a nightmare for the rest of the association.
What’s even scarier, is that something like this already happened to the Thunder a couple of years ago. In the 2022 Play-In Tournament, the Clippers came into that as the 8th seed. In the 7/8 game, they went on the road and played the Minnesota Timberwolves. They ended up losing that game, 109-104, as Patrick Beverly celebrated in front of the Minnesota crowd like he had won the MVP, Finals, Finals MVP, and a billion dollar lottery all in one felled swoop. The loss didn’t eliminate the Clippers, though. In the second play-in game, the Clippers hosted the winners of the 9/10 game, the New Orleans Pelicans. Before the game though, Clippers star Paul George tested positive for Covid-19 and had to sit out that game. The Clippers, now missing both George and Kawhi Leonard, put up a spirited fight, even going up by 10 entering the fourth quarter, but ultimately lost the game down the stretch, 105-101. That loss knocked them out of the playoffs and into the lottery. It was already known that the Thunder would get the Clippers pick regardless of where it landed (remember, the gift that keeps on giving). But now, the Thunder had, not just one, but now two picks in the lottery of the 2022 Draft.
We all know what happened after that. The Thunder luckily jumped up in the lottery and got the 2nd pick. The Clippers’ pick landed at 12. Chet Holmgren was picked by the Thunder with the 2nd pick. And with the Clippers’ pick (WTTP, if you know, you know), the Thunder drafted a draft combine rising star from the University of Santa Clara by the name of Jalen Williams. And the rest, as we know, is history. Williams became an All-Star and All-NBA player by his third season and helped the Thunder win their first championship in Oklahoma City. All because a team lost twice in the Play-In Tournament.
Can it happen again? Maybe. Maybe not. Single game results can be so varied. Things like home-court advantage may not necessarily matter in this type of setting. But to have the opportunity to get, not just one, but two lottery picks in a draft like this is crazy. The Thunder brass will definitely be locked into the Play-In Tournament. Not just for the purposes of scouting their possible first round opponent, but also for the purposes of seeing where their picks are going to land. The way you keep a dynasty rolling is by resupplying with talent from the draft. Rookies are usually cheaper than more established players. With the Thunder definitely going head first into the tax and possibly into the second apron next season, having the ability to draft top-tier (cheaper) talent is tantamount to their ability to continue contending. OKC will need Philadelphia to lose twice and the Clippers to lose once. It’s happened once already. Is it in the cards to happen again? I don’t know, but we’ll definitely be watching.
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