NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
In this day and age, one championship puts you in a dynasty discussion. For the Oklahoma City Thunder, they may need to tell everyone to shut the hell up.
What they accomplished this past season was remarkable. They managed to do what most teams besides the Golden State Warriors have not been able to do in this new era. And that was to win a championship with a young core. But there is an issue, actually a few that are being ignored in their celebration bliss.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” has been the model for decades. And it appears that many, including the Oklahoma City Thunder, are taking that to the bank. However, while they’re gearing up for another title run with their young core, other teams, especially in the Western Conference, are loading up with younger players and vets to dethrone all that dynasty talk.
Even before the offseason, there should have been questions. The first one is, what if Tyrese Halliburton never went down in Game 7 of the NBA Finals? Let’s be honest here, the Finals did go the distance. Despite the outcome, the Thunder did not run away with it. Then you also have to take into account that they went to a Game 7 in the playoffs against a not-as-strong Denver Nuggets team.
Just those 2 series alone are a cause for concern when labeling them a dynasty. We’re not here to take away from them winning. They won hands down, but they were not head and shoulders above everyone else as these NBA analysts are making them out to be.
Now, this offseason, the Houston Rockets upgraded with the addition of Kevin Durant. The San Antonio Spurs will have a healthy Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox, and the Dallas Mavericks, when healthy, will have one of the best starting units in the NBA. The major players didn’t sit still while OKC celebrated; they retooled.
In the East, injuries have rattled teams like the Pacers, Boston Celtics, and Milwaukee Bucks, but teams like the New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, and even the Philadelphia 76ers still have their star power. Nothing is etched in stone regarding the Thunder.
To be labeled a dynasty, everything has to fall in place. The Oklahoma City Thunder may have been more on the lucky side of things. They were 40 minutes away from possibly watching the Pacers celebrate on their home floor. Bringing that core back was a smart move, but watching as other teams load up to beat you while you stood still, that could come back and bite them on the ass.
Winning one does not make them a dynasty. It makes them champions. But I do get it. They were the best team all season and finished as the best team. They are young and have a stockpile of draft picks, so it makes sense to suggest that they have dynasty bloodlines. But as we’ve seen this offseason, other teams are vying to become a dynasty stopper.
