The Thunder have an opportunity to claim a major advantage in January. They easily got through two of their toughest stretches of the season. The first stretch was when they played a Western Conference team in 14 straight games, ending with a 9-5 record. This wasn’t exactly how the Thunder wanted to perform in this stretch. However, they will take it knowing that for the majority of that stretch, they had to play with zero healthy centers. Chet Holmgren suffered a fractured hip in November and Isaiah Hartenstein fractured his left hand in the preseason. After that, their next toughest stretch was when they played 12 of their next 16 games on the road. They got through that stretch with an impressive 14-2 record.
Now, the Thunder are prepared to embark on their third toughest stretch: the month of January. They will be playing the top three seeds in the Eastern Conference five times. Since the Thunder are 26-5 and the first seed in the Western Conference, they have a chance to control their chances of claiming home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, including the Finals.
How The Thunder Can Claim Major Advantage in January
OKC has a 5.0 game Lead in the West
Before the Thunder can even think about trying to claim the overall number-one seed, you have to first win your conference. The good news for the Thunder is they have a major advantage in the West right now. They have a five-game lead ahead of second place and a seven-game lead ahead of fourth place. This is significant, because once a team has a good lead over someone in the standings, it is usually hard for a lower seed to catch a higher seed. For it to happen, the Thunder would have to have a stretch where they lose multiple games in a row, and the Grizzlies, who are the second seed, would have to win multiple games in a row at the same time.
Barring any major injuries, it doesn’t seem like the Thunder will have a stretch where they lose five or more in a row. With that said, the Thunder are in prime position to claim the number one seed in the West for a second straight season. Winning the west is crucial for a young team with little playoff experience, as they could have home court advantage in the playoffs against more experienced teams.
Elite Competition in the East
Now that the Thunder have a major lead for first in the Western Conference, they can set their eyes on trying to claim the overall one seed. However, if the playoffs began today, the Cavaliers would have the overall number one seed in the playoffs as they have a 28-4 record. The Thunder can change that in January, playing both of their games against the Cavaliers that month.
If the Thunder can beat the Cavs in both games, they would take the lead for the overall number one seed. Aside from the Cavs, the Thunder also play the Knicks twice and the Celtics once, the respective second and third seeds in the East. They can also have the tiebreakers against the Celtics and Knicks in January if they beat the top-three teams in the East for the number one overall seed.
Last Big Stretch of Road Games
In addition to their advantage toward claiming the No. 1 seed, the Thunder will play their last big stretch of away games in January with four straight. After that, the most consecutive away games the Thunder will have is three. This will be very crucial down the stretch when the Thunder are trying to lock down the first seed in both the west and the league; they can do it without having to travel for more than three games at a time. Finally, if the Thunder get through January with the best seed in the west and the best record in the NBA. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s chances of getting his first MVP award will improve significantly.
The Last Word on the Thunder’s Advantage
Claiming the number one seed and the best overall record doesn’t guarantee a championship. However, given how good the Thunder have become, and with little playoff experience they have, having home court advantage throughout the playoffs will significantly help this young team out. 56 out of 77 teams with home court advantage in the Finals went on to win it all (excluding the bubble), and the Thunder have a chance to do the same if January goes their way.
