Are the Thunder in trouble?
Tony Parker weathered the storm (no pun intended) last night with his buzzer-beating jumper that pushed the Spurs past the Thunder last night. Being the first game, it would seem silly to think that the Thunder could possibly be in trouble but after Harden's masterful debut Wednesday Night it's hard not to ponder.
Let's clear this up immediately. Long term, no doubt, this was very beneficial for the Thunder because OKC had a slim chance of resigning him after the season. In addition, they grab a top ten pick and possibly 2 more after that. Now that we can move past that topic we can focus on the Thunder's chances this season.
Personally, I think the Harden trade kills them. It's not because they fell to an older San Antonio teaqm it is rather Harden's superb performance in his debut. Harden had 30 points, 12 assists, 6 boards, and 4 steals. Add the fact that his beard had 7 points and a block and you have Houston Rocket's management raving about this trade. Harden's number brings up this thought for OKC fans. How much Harden could have been.
Besides his beard, Harden was hardly ever the main guy. He came off the bench and didn't even get as much attention as Westbrook and Durant's poor relationship. Harden came off the bench for multiple reasons, none being though that he wasn't capable to be a starter. Maybe now that Harden will have the ball for most of the time he's on the floor it will be a better situation for him. But all I can think about is the fire powered Lakers. If you read my other article, you would know I'm still high on L.A. this season. Frankly, I don't see OKC being able to compete without James Harden. Durant is without a doubt the best pure scorer in the league but LeBron can do so much more than KD that the Thunder needed that extra aspect which Harden brought to the hardwood. OKC will be extremely competitive but without Harden I don't give them much of a chance to escape the Western Conference.
Prediction: Upset by Clippers in 2nd round or Eliminated by Los Angeles in Western Conference Finals
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