Welcome to Glass Slipper! Joe Burrow, I missed you dearly; please enjoy the show.

- Jacob Rhee

Did you know that since the 2009-10 NBA season, no Western Conference franchise has won more games than Oklahoma City? The Spurs, Warriors, and Thunder are all tied atop that list with exactly 702 victories. Unfortunately, the difference in actual organizational success is obvious. San Antonio and Golden State have operated the two best dynasties in recent league history, and OKC doesn’t have a single ring to flaunt.

The Thunder have built a really large fan base for a team that moved from Seattle just 16 years ago and has since existed in one of the smallest markets in the NBA. To me, the reason for this development is pretty clear; those early-2010s Oklahoma City squads served as the perfect magnet for young fans looking to hop on a bandwagon. The fun Durant-Russ-Harden-Ibaka core, the vibrant color scheme, the incredible home atmosphere. There are now random Thunder supporters everywhere you go, who have no apparent ties to either Oklahoma or Washington. They just decided to start rooting for the team because it was cool.

After that franchise-changing era concluded with a Kevin Durant backstab, the Thunder morphed into a few different iterations. We got the Westbrook DIY MVP campaign. Then there was the Russ-PG duo that never made a deep run. We even had that incredible Chris Paul I’m-still-really-good-at-basketball season, which I sincerely hope does not get forgotten. All of those years have led to this new, exciting age for OKC.

Those fans that I mentioned earlier are out in full force these days, bragging to everyone that will listen that a dynastic run is about to commence. I certainly don’t blame them for being excited; only Boston has a better roster on paper, and the Thunder’s main guys are young and hungry. Plus, Oklahoma City is still absolutely loaded with draft capital. Talented kids will be funneled onto this roster on an annual basis for the foreseeable future.

But what has anyone within OKC’s organization done to make me believe that this is finally the year? People love to throw around big statements when discussing these guys, but have they really proven… anything? Shai is better than Luka! Oh, really? I just watched Doncic beat him in a playoff series, with a quiet Kyrie Irving and an otherwise pedestrian Mavs team. SGA is heading into Year 7, and has yet to sniff the conference finals. We all cook Joel Embiid for not getting out of Round 2, so why is Shai exempt from that criticism? Chet is the future of the NBA! Is he? I’ll cut him slack since he’s only 22, but I was rather alarmed by how often he completely disappeared during the postseason. You’re a 7-foot-1 kid who can handle the ball and shoot. There’s literally never an excuse for not finding a way to contribute. Sam Presti is the best GM in sports! I’m sorry, what? The guy that took the job when I was six years old, and has made the Finals one time? That Sam Presti? The franchise is almost always in a great spot, and he deserves credit for that. But his job is to win titles, and I don’t see anything in the trophy case.

If Oklahoma City doesn’t win a championship with this crew, I’d make an argument that it has been the most disappointing two-decade stretch for any contending team in league history. The Thunder drafted Durant, Westbrook, and Harden, and they all developed into first-ballot Hall of Famers. The organization traded for Paul George, Chris Paul, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who each finished in the top seven of MVP voting while wearing an OKC uniform. To not come away with a single title is nothing short of unacceptable.

This Thunder core could very well get the job done. Maybe even this year. But until they do, I hope their fans can exercise just a little bit of humility. You haven’t accomplished anything yet.

Pressroom

Spin It

“Team” by Lorde. Oh, you played 2K15? And you don’t know every word?