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Thunder @ San Antonio Spurs preview (Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals)

Posted on May 28, 2026 by Alex Roig

#1 Oklahoma City Thunder (11-2) @ #2 San Antonio Spurs (10-5)
When: Thursday, 28 May 2026 at 7:30pm CST
Where: Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, TX
TV: NBC/Peacock
Playoff Offensive Rating (of the three teams still remaining in the playoffs): SAS: 114.9 (3rd) / OKC: 120.1 (2nd)
Playoff Defensive Rating (of the three teams still remaining in the playoffs): SAS: 105.0 (2nd) / OKC: 109.4 (3rd)
Playoff Net Rating (of the three teams still remaining in the playoffs): SAS: 9.9 (3rd) / OKC: 10.7 (2nd)
Series Record: OKC leads 3-2

The Tip-Off

The Oklahoma City Thunder have not enjoyed a great history with Game 6’s. To the point where they are commonly associated with a certain player who played for the Golden State Warriors and had an other-worldly performance in the 2nd half of a pivotal Game 6. Even though there was a Game 7 after that game, the “Game 6 Klay” game was likely the beginning of the end of the Kevin Durant/Russell Westbrook Thunder. In recent history, OKC has played in three Game 6’s in the past 2 seasons and the results have not been great. In 2024, they played in Game 6 against the Dallas Mavericks and lost a one-point nail baiter that saw them bounced from the playoffs that year. In 2025, against both Denver and Indiana, OKC had a 3-2 series lead heading into Game 6 and lost both in blowout fashion, setting up Game 7’s in both those series. Luckily, for the Thunder, they won both of those Game 7’s on their way to the title last season.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

Line: SA -3.5
O/U: 218.5

Injury Report

OKC

Ajay Mitchell – OUT (calf)
Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
Jalen Williams – Questionable (hamstring)

SAS

None

Three Big Things

SGA – This feels like the kind of game where OKC will need an MVP performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. While he’s done well enough to give the Thunder a 3-2 series lead, he hasn’t put together MVP-like performances in consecutive games this series. And that’s by no fault of his own. With Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell both being out, San Antonio’s defense has been able to key in on SGA like no other team has been able to do. The physicality by Stephon Castle and the shadowing by Victor Wembanyama has been enough to knock the MVP shine off of SGA. But he’s adjusted by relying on his playmaking and when his teammates are knocking down shots, the Thunder usually are coming out victorious. But when his teammates struggle, that is where San Antonio’s is able to complete their grasp on SGA.
Who steps up? – OKC’s wins in this series have been buoyed by great performances from their role players. Even in the Game 1 loss, Alex Caruso came up with 31 points. Jared McCain has been a revelation in several of the games this series. Jaylin Williams has shown up and been huge as a floor spacer. And the big man duo of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein have been extremely important for the Thunder at times in this series. With Game 6 being on the road, which role player will step up for the moment. My money is on Caruso having another great game and grabbing the Western Conference Finals MVP award when it is all said and done.
Physicality on Wemby – This has been Wembanyama’s longest season of his career. And you can tell it’s starting to wear on him. He settled for way too many jumpers in Game 5 and made his moves off the dribble later than usual, allowing OKC’s defense to get in place to defend him. I think we’ll see a lot more offensive movement by San Antonio to try and get Wemby space to operate. The Spurs, like OKC and SGA, will need an MVP-like performance from Wemby to have a chance in this game.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Thunder preview (Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals)

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Alex Roig

#4 Los Angeles Lakers (4-2) vs. #1 Oklahoma City Thunder (4-0)
When: Tuesday, 05 May 2026 at 7:30pm CST
Where: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK
TV: NBC / Peacock
Playoff Offensive Rating: LAL: 107.4 (12th) / OKC: 126.9 (1st)
Playoff Defensive Rating: LAL: 105.2 (4th) / OKC: 109.0 (8th)
Playoff Net Rating: LAL: 2.3 (7th) / OKC: 17.8 (2nd)
Series Record: 0-0

The Tip-Off

Six of the last seven NBA champs have all succumbed in their repeat attempts by this round in the playoffs. The 2018-19 Golden State Warriors, who had won the previous two titles before that, made it all the way back to the NBA Finals, but then suffered the “plagues of Egypt” series in which they lost both Kevin Durant (Achilles) and Klay Thompson (ACL) to series and “the following season”-ending injuries. The champions of that series, the Toronto Raptors, were then ousted by the Boston Celtics in the 2nd round the following season in The Bubble. The Bubble champ Los Angeles Lakers didn’t make it out of the first round after being a play-in team the following year, losing to Phoenix in the 2021 playoffs, four games to two. The 2021 champ, the Milwaukee Bucks, got knocked out in the 2nd round of the 2022 playoffs Boston, who won the series in seven games. Golden State had their one last hurrah that season, winning the title against the young Celtics. The following season, the Warriors lost in the 2nd round to the Lakers in six games. The 2023 champ, the Denver Nuggets lost the following season in the 2nd round to their hated rivals, the Minnesota Timberwolves in seven games. Boston finally broke through in the 2024 Finals, winning against the Dallas Mavericks in five games. Then, last season, Jayson Tatum tears his Achilles in the second round versus the New York Knicks and Boston loses that series 4-2. That opened the door for the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the title and here we stand now: the OKC Thunder in the 2nd round, looking to defend their title.

The Season Series

Game 1 – November 12th, 2025 – Both teams came into this game charged up, as this was supposed to be one of Oklahoma City’s biggest tests early in the season. They had just got done dispatching the Golden State Warriors in grand fashion the night before and now had to face the Luka Doncic-led Lakers. The Lakers were without LeBron James for that game, but the Thunder were also without Jalen Williams and Lu Dort. But they did have Cason Wallace, who put on a defensive masterclass against Doncic, and led OKC to a blowout victory, 121-92.

Game 2 – February 9th, 2026 – OKC was missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in this one, while the Lakers were also missing Doncic. But it was a return game for Dub, who came back after missing the previous 2.5 weeks with a hamstring strain. The game was close throughout, but Dub upped his physicality in the fourth quarter, constantly driving to the basket and earning trips to the free throw line. He went 3/6 FG shooting in the 4th and capped it off with 4 free throws at the end. OKC won 119-110.

Game 3 – April 2nd, 2026 – A lot like their first meeting of the season, both teams came into this game looking to gauge their abilities against the top teams in the league. The Lakers were riding high, having jumped all the way up to the 3rd slot in the conference. And OKC was finally the healthiest it had been all season. Oklahoma City came out the gates red-hot and the game eventually turned into a dud, as both Austin Reaves and Doncic exited with injuries. OKC’s largest lead in the game was 46 and they led wire to wire, winning 139-96.

Game 4 – April 9th, 2026 – Entering this game, OKC was looking to maintain it’s lead over San Antonio for best record in the league. And LA entered this game looking to get healthy. Their trio of James, Doncic, and Reaves sat out this game and OKC won going away, 123-87.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

Line: OKC -15.5
O/U: 213.5

Injury Report

OKC

Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
Jalen Williams – OUT (hamstring)

LAL

Luka Doncic – OUT (hamstring)

Three Big Things

Force Turnovers – The Lakers rank dead last for playoff teams in protecting the ball. The turned the ball over 17.7 times per game in the Houston series and had a turnover percentage of 18.8%. To do that while also having the 2nd slowest team in the playoffs is a recipe for disaster for Los Angeles. If OKC is able to play their game and continue this trend for the Lakers, the series may be over in three games.
Offensive Rebounds – Another area where the Lakers struggled in their series against Houston was in securing defensive rebounds. For the playoffs, the Lakers rank last with a 65.5% Defensive Rebound percentage for the teams that are still remaining in the playoffs. Consequently, the Thunder rank 2nd in playoff teams in Offensive Rebound percentage. If OKC can consistently get 2nd chance points, of which they are 2nd among playoff teams, then that opens up another avenue for OKC to get more points against LA.
SGA – It’s not the Clippers, but it’s still an LA team. SGA always seems to get up for games against any LA opponent. And now he’ll have the chance to play at least 4 games against them.

Dallas Mavericks vs. Thunder preview (Game 23 of 82)

Posted on December 5, 2025 by Alex Roig

Dallas Mavericks (8-15, 12th in the West) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (21-1, 1st in the West)
When: Friday, 05 December 2025 at 8:30pm CST
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
TV: Prime Video
Offensive Rating: DAL: 107.6 (30th) / OKC: 119.0 (5th)
Defensive Rating: DAL: 111.3 (4th) / OKC: 103.8 (1st)
Net Rating: DAL: -3.8 (22nd) / OKC: 15.1 (1st)
Streaks: DAL: 3 W’s in a row, 5-5 in last 10 / OKC: 13 W’s in a row

The Set-Up

The decision for when to start a rebuild has to be an extremely difficult one for an organization. Sometimes, it’s self-inflicted. Sometimes, it’s thrust upon you unexpectedly. But it’s a decision fraught with potholes, pitfalls, and doubt. A decision that can set your franchise back years, possibly decades. And, yet, for most every team, it’s a decision that needs to be made once every 10-15 years. For Oklahoma City, the team knew they needed a refresh after the departure of Kevin Durant and the subsequent first round exits of the Russell Westbrook/Paul George-led teams. But that weird transitional season was also needed to get off the previous train and jump onto a new one. The season with Chris Paul, a newly acquired Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, rookie Lu Dort, potential 6th Man of the Year Dennis Schroder, and Steven Adams is one that lives happily in the minds of many Thunder fans, but also one that helped position the Thunder for what they currently are today.

Which brings me to the neighbors south of us, down I-35. Dallas is in a weird spot where they have some of the pieces needed to jump-start a rebuild (Cooper Flagg and Ryan Nembhard), but also are in a holding pattern with older stars such as Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and the currently injured Kyrie Irving. They aren’t winning, but they also aren’t losing enough. These next few months before the trade deadline will be very interesting in Dallas.

This is the 2nd of 3 meetings this season between these regional rivals. OKC won the first meeting 101-94, in Dallas, in a game that saw the Thunder big men dominate on the scoreboard and on the glass. Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Jaylin Williams combined to score 38 points and grab 30 rebounds, with 6 of those being offensive.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

Line: OKC -15
O/U: 229.5

Injury Report

OKC

Alex Caruso – OUT (quad)
Lu Dort – OUT (adductor strain)
Isaiah Hartenstein – OUT (calf)
Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
Nikola Topic – OUT (cancer treatment)

DAL

Dante Exum – OFS (knee)
Daniel Gafford – Questionable (ankle)
Kyrie Irving – OUT (knee/ACL)
Dereck Lively – OUT (foot)
PJ Washington – Questionable (ankle)

Three Big Things

Ryan Nembhard – Last season, in the Finals, no players on the Indiana Pacers, outside of Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakim, had more of an impact against the Thunder than Andrew Nembhard. Dallas decided to take a chance on Andrew’s younger brother, Ryan, as an undrafted free agent this past summer. And over the past four games, all starts, Ryan Nembhard has been balling out and leading the Mavericks to a 3-1 record over that stretch. Nembhard has been averaging 17 points, 7.5 assists to 1.3 turnovers, and shooting an absurd 65% from the field and 67% from three over that 4-game stretch. The one game where he did struggle during that 4-game stretch was against the Los Angeles Clippers, who have big rangy defenders like Kris Dunn who can make life difficult for a smaller point guard. With Dort and Alex Caruso out, that onus will fall on Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell.
Comfortable Dub – The more games Jalen Williams gets under his belt, the more comfortable and in rhythm he gets. He hit the 20 point mark in their last game against the Warriors, scoring 22 points. His playmaking has been in mid-season form, as he’s averaging over 6 assists per game in his first 3 games. And his shooting percentage was above 50% for the first time this season in their last game. Everyone is asking whether the Thunder should throw their hat into the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstake, but honestly, Dub coming back may be their important “acquisition” this season.
Upset Potential – The Mavericks are coming into this game the hottest they’ve been all season. They are riding a 3-game winning streak, Nembhard, Cooper Flagg, and Anthony Davis are all balling out, and Dallas’ defense has been consistent. You can almost always throw records out when it comes to regional rivalries and the Thunder have the biggest target on their back this season. OKC has been a little unfocused over the past few games and if that continues, it could come back to bite them in the butt this game.

Detroit Pistons vs. Thunder preview (Game 76 of 82)

Posted on April 2, 2025 by Alex Roig

Detroit Pistons (42-33) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (63-12)
When: Wednesday, 02 April 2025 at 8:30pm CSTS
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Offensive Rating – DET: 114.6 (12th) / OKC: 119.2 (3rd)
Defensive Rating – DET: 112.0 (10th) / OKC: 106.0 (1st)
Net Rating – DET: 2.6 (11th) / OKC: 13.2 (1st)

The Set-Up
Greatness. It’s a combination of many variables that allows a team to be called great. The Oklahoma City Thunder had a previous iteration that many people considered great. The Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Serge Ibaka teams may have been great, talent-wise, but did they lack that greatness mindset that other teams may have possessed. Think about the Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson Warriors. Great team, but a greatness mindset to match. The Jordan, Pippen, Rodman Bulls. Same thing. I think this is where we stand with this current iteration of the Thunder. A great team with a mindset to match.

This is the second and final meeting of the season between these two teams. The Thunder won the first meeting in Detroit, 113-107. It has been one of the more tighter games for the Thunder after the All-Star Break.

Betting Info

Line: OKC -13.5
O/U: 232.5

Injury Report

OKC
Alex Caruso – Questionable (ankle)
Ousmane Dieng – OUT (calf)
Alex Ducas – OUT (quad)
Ajay Mitchell – OUT (toe)
Nikola Topic – OUT (knee)
Aaron Wiggins – OUT (Achilles)

DET
Cade Cunningham – OUT (calf)
Tobias Harris – Questionable (Achilles)
Ron Holland II – OUT (suspension)
Jaden Ivey – OUT (leg)
Marcus Sasser – OUT (suspension)
Isaiah Stewart – OUT (suspension)

Three Big Things

1. Take Care of Business – The Pistons are likely going to be missing key pieces of their rotation in this game. Isaiah Stewart and Ron Holland II are out after their suspensions from the fracas against the Timberwolves a couple of nights ago. Cade Cunningham is likely out due to a calf issue. If the Thunder play their game, this baby may be over by halftime.

2. Rebounding – Probably about the only statistic where the Pistons have a leg up on the Thunder is rebounding. But that’s with a full roster. With Cunningham and Stewart out, the responsibility of manning the boards may fall solely on Jalen Duren and Tobias Harris, who is coming back from injury. The Pistons may not have the personnel to exhibit dominance in this area tonight.

3. J-Dub, All-NBA? – With this game, Jalen Williams officially reaches 65 games played for the season. He’s already seen his first All-Star game appearance this season. Is he now in line for a spot on one of the three All-NBA teams? It’ll be close and he may literally be the first guy outside of the 15 players on the All-NBA teams. But his play on both ends of the floor may be the determining factor that gets him on one of the All-NBA teams. His versatility on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor may get him the nod over someone who may only play one end of the floor.

Thunder @ Golden State Warriors preview (Game 12 of 82)

Posted on November 16, 2023 by Alex Roig

Oklahoma City Thunder (7-4) @ Golden State Warriors (6-6)
When: Thursday, 16 November 2023 at 9:00pm CST
Where: Chase Center, San Francisco, CA
Offensive Rating – GS: 112.5 (15th) / OKC: 113.9 (9th)
Defensive Rating – GS: 110.5 (9th) / OKC: 109.2 (7th)
Net Rating – GS: 2.1 (11th) / OKC: 4.7 (6th)

The Set-Up

Catching breaks. In an 82-game season, there are times where you just catch a break. Maybe you catch a team where you are their 5th game in 7 nights. Sometimes you catch a team that is resting their (“injured”) star(s). Sometimes you just catch a team on an off-night. But there’s a duality in catching a team in a bad state. The other part to the equation is you have to come out and take advantage of the situation. When the Thunder played the Sacramento Kings nearly a week ago, they faced a Kings team that had lost 3 of their last 4 previous games and was without their star guard in De’Aaron Fox. The Thunder came out and completely laid an egg and lost, not just a regular season game, but an In-Season Tournament game.

The Thunder come into this game facing a Warriors team that is missing Steph Curry and Draymond Green. With all that said, this is still a dangerous squad. Game 6 Klay is always lurking, Andrew Wiggins used to be one of the biggest thorns in the Thunder’s side back a couple of seasons ago, and Chris Paul can always conjure up magic from time to time. The Thunder need to take advantage of the circumstances that have presented themselves and win these next two games.

Injury Report

OKC

None

Steph Curry (knee) – Out
Draymond Green (suspension) – Out

Three Big Things

Rebounding – I know this has been an issue all season. But rebounding is one of those things that can equalize a game for a team that is missing some of their key rotational pieces. Allowing a team like the Warriors extra possessions is not a recipe for success. The Thunder have done a better job of gang rebounding, but still rank near the bottom in every rebounding statistical category.
SGA – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t play in the last Warriors game due to sprained knee. Even with his absence, the Thunder nearly won their last meeting against Golden State. Oklahoma City did a great job of attacking the lane and looking for the open shooter. It was almost Golden State’esque. With SGA in the line-up, the Thunder should be able to do even more damage on the interior, especially with the absence of Draymond Green.
Limit the Others – This feels like the type of trap game where someone like Moses Moody or Jonathan Kuminga could go off for their career highs. Or someone like Dario Saric could have a “Wow that’s what he looked like before all the injuries” kind of game. The Thunder cannot be lulled into a false sense of security with Curry and Green out for the game.

Thunder At A Glance – 03 December 2018

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Alex Roig

The Topic: Thunder podcast crew released another Weekly this past weekend, in which they preview the upcoming 3-game road trip, hand out quarterly season awards, and discuss the Andre Roberson setback.

Jon Hamm (Bleacher Report) on Oklahoma City and Russell Westbrook realizing that the reins needed to be released if the team was to be more successful: “In the 13 games Westbrook has played, he’s accounted for only 39 percent of the team’s assists. That number approached 50 percent in the previous two seasons. Surrendering the ball more often to George and Schroder makes the Thunder offense more dynamic.” Continue reading →

Thunder vs. Clippers preview (Game 2 of 82)

Posted on October 19, 2018 by Alex Roig

clippers

When: Friday, 19 October 2018 at 9:30 pm CST
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
TV: FSOK
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 930 AM (Spanish))
Line: LAC -3.0 | O/U: 214

It almost seemed like moral victories were the worst type of losses last season. To have a team that was expected to make a ton of noise as constructed, only to be an inconsistent mess only solidified the point that moral victories were useless last season. None of the losses felt like victories, while a handful of the wins felt like losses. It was a frustrating season all around. Continue reading →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 17 July 2017

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Alex Roig

img_4133-5 A little late, but here are the Rumblings as we begin the new week on DTR!

A great one on one interview from Royce Young and Andre Roberson: “Were you talking to other teams or did you basically just work with the Thunder directly on this before shopping around? Roberson: Oklahoma City is where I wanted to be, to be honest. So I tried to work a deal with them first before we went to anyone else, and that was that.”

Erik Horne looks at the options for the Thunder in regards to Kyle Singler: “Singler remaining salary will still be on the Thunder’s team salary when he’s waived, but the Thunder would be able to “stretch” the contract over twice the number of remaining years on Singler’s deal, plus an additional year. The Thunder has until Aug. 31 to stretch Singler’s contract. Singler has two guaranteed years remaining on his contract, and a third year which is a team option. That means the remaining $9.66 million guaranteed over two years (2017-18, 2018-19) could be stretched over seven seasons in even amounts. Singler’s cap hit this season would be lowered from $4.66 million to $1.38 million, saving the Thunder $3.28 million this season.” Continue reading →

Oklahoma City Thunder at Golden State Warriors preview (Game 26 of 82)

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Alex Roig

When: Thursday, 18 December 2014 at 9:30 PM CST
Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA

Most games in the regular season are not must-wins. Teams battling for the 8th spot in their respective conferences at the end of the season face must-win games. Teams on the brink of elimination in the playoffs face must-win games. But games in December can rarely be labeled must-win games. Even if the Thunder lose tonight, they are still well on pace to get into the playoffs comfortably. So while it isn’t a must-win game, it definitely is a “want to”-win game. After starting the season off in shambles due to injuries, it sure would be nice to send a message to the rest of the league that we are back.

This is the second of four meetings between the Thunder and Golden State Warriors. The under-manned Thunder played the Warriors valiantly in their first meeting, losing 91-86. That is the lowest point total the Warriors have been held to all season.

The Opponent

The Golden State Warriors currently sit perched atop of the rest of the league with a 21-3 record. After winning 16 in a row, the Warriors lost their last game to the Memphis Grizzlies in Memphis. First year head coach Steve Kerr has jumped out to the best 24 game start to begin a coach career in league history. The Warriors rank in the top 10 in most major statistical categories. Their defense is predicated on blowing up pick and rolls and forcing you to take mid-range shots early in the shot clock. On offense, the shooting of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson (or the fear of them shooting) creates a ton of space for them to do their work and for others to get open. The Splash Brothers are currently averaging 45.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, 10.9 assists, and 3.2 steals per game on 46.6/41.0/89.5% shooting splits combined. This backcourt is highly efficient and each player is capable of exploding for 35+ points on any given night. Because of David Lee’s injury and Andre Iguadola’s move to the bench, Kerr has been going with Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green at the forward spots. Barnes plays more of the small forward role, while Green has been a terror as an undersized stretch-4. Both players are shooting over 35% from deep this season. Up front, Festus Ezeli mans the middle in place of the injured Andrew Bogut. Off the bench, the aforementioned Iguadola, Marreese Speights, and Shaun Livingston give the Warriors a veteran reserve bunch that will not lose them many games.

Probable Starting Line-ups

Golden State Warriors

PG – Steph Curry
SG – Klay Thompson
SF – Harrison Barnes
PF – Draymond Green
C – Festus Ezeli

Oklahoma City Thunder

PG – Russell Westbrook
SG – Andre Roberson
SF – Kevin Durant
PF – Serge Ibaka
C – Steven Adams

3 Keys to the Game

1. Transition Defense – There’s a reason why the Warriors are No. 1 in the league in pace: their fast breaks don’t have to go all the way to the rim. The Warriors are just as happy shooting up 30 footers while the defense is getting set back up as they are gliding in for lay-ups. It’ll be extremely important for the Thunder to get back on defense as quickly as possible to contest anything from Curry and Thompson.

2. Match-up Landmines – The first match-up problem I see is Ibaka vs. Green. It would almost be better for the Thunder to go small from the beginning with Ibaka as the 5 and Perry Jones getting minutes at forward. Another match-up nightmare is Kendrick Perkins vs. Speights. This manifested itself the last time these two teams played, as Speights went off for 28 points off the bench on an array of mid-range jumpers against the slower Perkins. Another match-up problem could be Reggie Jackson vs. Livingston. Livingston has made a career of taking small pg’s down on the block due to his height advantage.

3. Sit back and enjoy – If you are a fan of basketball, these last two nights have been great. The Warriors/Grizzlies match-up on Tuesday was good and the triple-overtime thriller between the Grizzlies and Spurs last night was even better. But if you remember back to the first two games the Thunder and Warriors played last season, then you already have a blueprint as to how tonight might play out.

2014-15 NBA Season Preview: Pacific Division

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Alex Roig

Pacific Division

1. Los Angeles Clippers

Last season: 57-25 (1st in the Pacific Division, 3rd in the Western Conference)

Season ended: Game 6 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder

Key Additions:

Chris Douglas-Roberts – Free agent signing
Jordan Farmar – Free agent signing
Spencer Hawes – Free agent signing
Ekpe Udoh – Free agent signing
C.J. Wilcox – Draft (No. 28 in the 2014 NBA Draft)
Joe Ingles – Australian free agent signing

Key Departures:

Jared Dudley – Traded to the Milwaukee Bucks
Danny Granger – Signed with the Miami Heat
Ryan Hollins – Signed with the Sacramento Kings
Willie Green – Claimed off waivers by the Orlando Magic
Darren Collison – Signed with the Sacramento Kings

Season preview – While one team gets embroiled in a controversy related to race (Atlanta), another team is getting out of their racial controversy relatively unscathed. With the Donald Sterling fiasco behind them, and with new ownership, the Clippers look to build on the success from last season. The highest scoring team in the league (107.9 ppg) brings back its main core, while also adding the perimeter shooting of Spencer Hawes and Chris Douglas-Roberts to the mix. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are legit MVP contenders and the Clippers should be in the thick of things when it comes to championship contenders.

2014-15 will be successful if: The Clippers make it to the Finals

Projected 2014-15 Record: 59-23

2. Golden State Warriors

Last season: 51-31 (2nd in the Pacific Division, 6th in the Western Conference)

Season ended: Game 7 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs against the Los Angeles Clippers

Key Additions:

Leandro Barbosa – Free agent signing
Shaun Livingston – Free agent signing

Key Departures:

Steve Blake – Signed with the Portland Trailblazers
Jordan Crawford – Unsigned
Jermaine O’Neal – Unsigned

Season Preview – Golden State is one of those teams that seems to be on the cusp of becoming an elite team, but is missing that extra “oomph” to get them there. Unfortunately, whatever that oomph is was obtained in the offseason. The Warriors basically bring back the same team from last season. While Curry and Thompson may continue to get better, the rest of the team, for the most part, has already plateaued in terms of skill improvement/refinement. I see the Warriors still being good, but also, still not being good enough.

2014-15 will be successful if: The Warriors reach the 2nd round of the playoffs

Projected 2014-15 Record: 50-32

3. Phoenix Suns

Last season: 48-34 (3rd in the Pacific Division, 9th in the Western Conference)

Season ended: Last day of the regular season

Key Additions:

Tyler Ennis – Draft (No. 18 in the 2014 NBA Draft)
Isaiah Thomas – Signed and traded from the Sacramento Kings
TJ Warren – Draft (No. 14 in the 2014 NBA Draft)
Anthony Tolliver – Free agent signing

Key Departures

Channing Frye – Signed with the Orlando Magic

Season Preview – The Eric Bledsoe contract situation has the ability to cast a huge shadow on this season for the Suns. After the feel good story that was last season, the Suns appear headed for a fork in the road with this Bledsoe situation. If he signs his 1-year qualifying offer, that could play out any number of ways, with some of those options blowing up in the Suns’ face. The Suns may be forced to trade Bledsoe, in order to keep Goran Dragic, who is an unrestricted free agent in 2015. All in all, I see this Bledsoe situation being too much of a distraction throughout the season for them to continue with what they started last season. Add to that the fact the Suns will no longer be able to sneak up on teams, and you are looking at a team-wide “sophomore slump”. This team will score a ton of points, and will be fun to watch, but will they be able to stop elite team on the other side of the court?

2014-15 will be successful if: The Suns make the playoffs

Projected 2014-15 Record: 45-37

4. Sacramento Kings

Last season: 28-54 (4th in the Pacific Division, 13th in the Western Conference)

Season ended: Last day of the regular season

Key Additions:

Omri Casspi – Free agent signing
Darren Collison – Free agent signing
Ryan Hollins – Free agent signing
Nik Stauskas – Draft (No. 8 in the 2014 NBA Draft)

Key Departures:

Jason Terry – Traded to the Houston Rockets
Aaron Gray – Signed with the Detroit Pistons
Isaiah Thomas – Signed and traded to the Phoenix Suns

Season Preview – The Kings seem to finally be on the upswing. They are starting to assemble a team around DeMarcus Cousins, with shooters on the outside (Ben McLemore and Nik Stauskas) and rugged enforcers/rebounders on the inside (Reggie Evans and Jason Thompson). Rudy Gay will provide further perimeter scoring and Darren Collison will attempt to quarterback the whole thing. They will continue to fall short due to the weakness of the point guard position, but the maturation of Cousins will start to point the ship in the right direction. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Kings make a play for Rajon Rondo sometime this season.

2014-15 will be successful if: The Kings surpass 35 wins.

Projected 2014-15 Record: 37-45

5. Los Angeles Lakers

Last season: 27-55 (5th in the Pacific Division, 14th in the Western Conference)

Season ended: Last day of the regular season

Key Additions:

Carlos Boozer – Claimed off amnesty waivers from the Chicago Bulls
Ed Davis – Free agent signing
Jeremy Lin – Obtained in a trade from the Houston Rockets
Julius Randle – Draft (No. 7 in the 2014 NBA Draft)

Key Departures:

Pau Gasol – Signed with the Chicago Bulls
Chris Kaman – Signed with the Portland Trailblazers
Jodie Meeks – Signed with the Detroit Pistons
Kendall Marshall – Waived; Claimed off waivers by the Milwaukee Bucks
Kent Bazemore – Signed with the Atlanta Hawks
Jordan Farmar – Signed with the Los Angeles Clippers

Season Preview – As someone who respects Kobe Bryant, this is not how I envisioned his final years. The Lakers are going to struggle, and struggle bad. Kobe may have a couple Kobe games left in him, but Father Time remains unbeaten (unless your name is Timothy Theodore Duncan). The Lakers are loading up on short contracts to coincide with the end of Kobe’s contract. Then, the Lakers will look to do what the Lakers usually do: lure top talent with the auspices of Hollywood glitz. But until then, it will be a lot like Lolo Jones’ performance on Dancing With the Star, which is to say cringe-worthy.

2014-15 will be successful if: The Lakers keep their 2015 first round pick (Top 5 protected; if it’s outside of that range, it goes to Phoenix)

Projected 2014-15 Record: 29-53