Oklahoma City Thunder Early Exit in the Western Conference

Oklahoma City Thunder Early Exit in the Western Conference

What happened to the Oklahoma City Thunder? Just simple thoughts about the fall of the Thunder who were supposed to be back in the NBA Finals again. The fact that the Thunder grabbed the No 1 seed in the Western Conference means that they were ready to take another shot at the NBA title. However, there were few factors that contributed to their fall. Let's examine it.

1. Not signing James Harden - Early in the season, the Thunder's questionable move in not getting Harden probably had caused them something. Not evident in the regular season as the Thunder played well by winning 60 games. Though Kevin Martin took the shoes of Harden in the regular season, the playoff was not a perfect fit for the Thunder.

2. Russell Westbrook injury - This can be the biggest of all the reasons. The competitiveness of the Thunder was none existent when Westbrook was sidelined with injury that the defense of the opponents concentrated on Durant. Losing the No 2 option was hard to fill in for the Thunder.


3. Kevin Durant's clutchness - How about Kevin Durant's missing many shots in the fourth quarters of the last two games? What if he converted most of his shots? Durant has to learn to be clutch in the future for his team to win close games. It's a learning process. LeBron James took some time until last year to score under the pressure.

4. Much improved Grizzlies - Never discount Grizzlies in the picture of the fall of the Thunder. Memphis overpowered the LA Clippers in the first round and it was  not a fluke. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph dominated the Thunder. In short other teams like the Grizzlies have caught on the Thunder.

Next year is another journey for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Probably additional players to spice up the roster?