The way things are going, will OKC make the playoffs?

[finchyyy]

With the West being super-stacked and the fact you'd need about 50 wins to make the playoffs, will they make it? I think there's a decent chance chance they don't, which is crazy.

[Booz Vivic]

When they'll have Durant and Westbrook back, they're gonna need one of the best regular seasons ever from that point to make it.

Probably more than decent chance they won't make it. If they were in the East however.

[Cocaine80s]

Theyll still make it. But If Durant suffers a setback and can't come back in December then they have no chance

[finchyyy]

If they do make it, they'd be one of the scariest 7-8 seed teams going around too, which makes things even more fun. Durant is going to have to ball out of he's mind this year.

[Magic731]

Would probably say a lot about Durant and Westbrook if they are able to lead their team to a playoff seed while in the wild wild west.

[kurple]

Would probably say a lot about Durant and Westbrook if they are able to lead their team to a playoff seed while in the wild wild west.
what? They should make the playoffs with ease if Brook isnt out for 2+ months

[finchyyy]

what? They should make the playoffs with ease if Brook isnt out for 2+ months

How many games are Durant/Westbrook missing though? If it's a good 20 games or so, when they get back they'll have to win 40-45 games out of the last 60, which would be impressive.

[Magic731]

what? They should make the playoffs with ease if Brook isnt out for 2+ months
Not necessarily. I doubt they are going to win many games without either of them and they should both be out for another 4 weeks. That is going to be A LOT of ground to cover up in such a tough conference.

[kurple]

teams always have some growing pains in the beginning of the season.

better for brook to miss some time in november than march.

i doubt the gap will be THAT big when Brook gets back.

[BigTicket]

I think they will still make quite easily unless they have additional injuries.

They have 13 games left in November, many of them quite easy. I think they will have a record of something like 4-9 over that period, which would make them 5-12 overall by the time Durant/Westbrook return. If they can win 70% of their games after that, they will end with 50 wins for the season, which will be sufficient to make the playoffs.

Even if Durant and Westbrook return a little later, OKC can still make it by winning at a higher rate than 70%, and I think they are good enough to do so. When healthy this is a team that can win ~75%.

Also they might not need a full 50 wins to make the playoffs, 46-48 could be enough.

[SwayDizzle]

Not necessarily. I doubt they are going to win many games without either of them and they should both be out for another 4 weeks. That is going to be A LOT of ground to cover up in such a tough conference.
agreed. the West this year is stacked. a five game differential is enough to leave a team trailing significantly.

[SOD 21]

One of the problems for Oklahoma City is that I don't think Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant will return by the start of December and will most likely be closer to middle of the month in December. The reports that I have read says they will be reevaluated at the end of November or early December from their surgeries, which means they could easily not return for another couple of weeks after that.

This is a guess, of course, but I don't see them returning until the middle of December and that December 14th game against the Phoenix Suns looks like a decent possibility barring any setbacks for them. That means this ragtag group would need to play 23 games without them and I can easily see them going 8-15.

There would be 59 games remaining at that time and they won 72% of their games last season, so that same winning percentage of 72% over their final 59 games would mean a 42-17 record or a total of winning 50 games total.

This assumes, of course, that they come back by the middle of December, at the latest, and don't suffer any additional setbacks for the rest of the season with additional injuries. Oklahoma City will most likely make the playoffs but it is certainly far from a given. They will be about the scariest seventh or eighth seed of all time.

[Magic731]

teams always have some growing pains in the beginning of the season.

better for brook to miss some time in november than march.

i doubt the gap will be THAT big when Brook gets back.
The argument can then be made that with all the injuries the Thunder have, they will have to go through a second set of growing pains once everyone returns. This is why it would say a lot about the two of them, if they can overcome this.

[archkiller]

They will get 8th seed and meet spurs in 1st round.

[StephHamann]

no way the league will allow OKC to miss the playoffs

[kurple]

The argument can then be made that with all the injuries the Thunder have, they will have to go through a second set of growing pains once everyone returns. This is why it would say a lot about the two of them, if they can overcome this.
second set of growing pains? why? OKC core has been together forever, with no coaching changes

[Lebronxrings]

With the West being super-stacked and the fact you'd need about 50 wins to make the playoffs, will they make it? I think there's a decent chance chance they don't, which is crazy.
Damage control.

[TimmyDuncan]

They will get 8th seed and meet spurs in 1st round.

The real WC finals (or maybe even the real nba finals) in the first round :applause:

[ArbitraryWater]

You basically need about 50 wins to make the playoffs in the west... So you can't have much more than 30 losses.

OKC might have about 15 losses already after a month and a half of playing time when KD & Russ come back... It will definitely be tough.

But if they make it, that's gonna be a mean low seed.

[wally_world]

Easily. 6th seed at worst.

[finchyyy]

Wouldn't surprise me at all if they finished a few wins short.. Pelicans, Suns could sneak in for sure.

[tgan3]

No they won't make it...im going to go on a limp and say they are placed 9th seed at the end of the season.

[tgan3]

If they do make it, they'd be one of the scariest 7-8 seed teams going around too, which makes things even more fun. Durant is going to have to ball out of he's mind this year.

It is no fun. Then the top 1-2 teams will tank to have a worst regular season record..

[All Net]

The top seeds will be hoping not.

[Nash]

Durant should take his time with this, don't rush anything. And OKC should go for the tank and end up with Jahlil Okafor.

Imagine that.

[hawksdogsbraves]

Imagine the tank job the Spurs will do at the end of the season to drop down to the 2 seed if it looks like the Thunder are going to make the playoffs.

[Leroy Jetson]

Imagine the tank job the Spurs will do at the end of the season to drop down to the 2 seed if it looks like the Thunder are going to make the playoffs.
Yes because there's no way the Spurs could beat the Thunder, that has like never happened. :roll: :roll:

[Optimus Prime]

If they were in the Least, after Durant and Westbrook come back, they could still gun for a Top 3 seed.

In the West, however, they are already done. Might as well tank and sit Durant and Westbrook out the year while watching Harden tear it up in Houston and reminisce about what could have been.

:kobe:

[StephHamann]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9hWm9710Oo#t=12m30s

[DMAVS41]

Depending on when they come back...this is a real pickle for the Thunder.

I mean...getting a top 10 pick. Even if you just trade it...that has to be tempting.

But they have a real chance to win the title if they are in the playoffs. Tough call.

I say just go all out and try to make it, but if they are something like 6-20. Going to be really hard for that to happen.

[Fudge]

Well, Westbrook really looks like he could return on Friday, so there's that. I also think these next few games are VERY winnable. Jazz, Knicks without Melo most likely, Sixers, Pistons, Bucks.

I'd bet on them grabbing the 7th or 8th seed. I just don't think NOP, PHX, or Sac will hold up for the second half of the season to keep them afloat.

[MavsSuperFan]

arguably they should start tanking now
they are 3-12

only 67 games left

they need to win 46 more games to get to 49 wins

46/67 = 68.7% wins needed

[Top Gun]

They will sneak in I think, either way will be an interesting plot line leading up to the end of the regular season.

[WallIn]

The OKC needs both of KD and Westbrook back soon (and at 100%) in order to make it. If this pattern continues to Christmas then there is no way they'll make it to the playoffs.