National Basketball Association

NBA All-Star voting reflects what OKC Thunder could have been

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 2:04 p.m. ET

Fansided, Tamberlyn Richardson/FanSided via Thunderous Intentions

Fan voting for the 2017 NBA All-Star Game punctuates just how special the Big 3 era of OKC Thunder was and more interestingly what they could have been.

Funny how certain days conger specific thoughts; Friday the 13th for example has long been associated with scary movies, weird events occurring and other such oddities. So, perhaps it’s not that far of a stretch this Friday the 13th had me reflecting on what could have been for the OKC Thunder.

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Putting all the pieces in place here’s the order of how these thoughts came about and the inner workings of the brain of an NBA fanatic….

Thunder Big 3 reunion as All-Star starters?

At this point it dawns on me the starting five for the Western Conference could well be comprised of three-fifths of the old Thunder starting lineup. Currently, Stephen Curry and James Harden lead the backcourt fan votes. Yet, there remains a high probability media and player votes will push Russell Westbrook ahead of Curry to start.

At least logically Westbrook advances because most pundits are saying Westbrook and Harden top their MVP list. With many teams not happy about the ‘super teams’ it also stands to reason players will recognize and reward Cyborg Russ for his current triple-double average.

I mean would you vote against him as a peer and take the chance he knows you didn’t? That would only serve as fodder to motivate him next time he plays your team.

If the former Thunder Big 3 do end up starting the All-Star game how will the three mesh? Who takes the primary ball handling role and will Harden have to be the mediator between Russell and Kevin?

Logically fans will find out right away how much truth there is regarding Durant and Westbrook’s friendship status. Will Westbrook choose to pass others the ball instead of K.D? Will Durant try to keep the ball out of Westbrook’s hands so he can’t three-peat as All-Star MVP? A myriad of questions arise, but one prominently peculates in my grey matter …

But, what if:

Yet, the bigger question begging to be asked is where this former Thunder trio would rank in today’s NBA. Would they be the prohibitive favorites to win the title?

As each of these 3 All-Stars have risen to become the super stars they are, could they have done the same thing if they had all remained in OKC? As teams jockey to create their own version of ‘Super Teams’, OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti had created what arguably was the NBA’s first organic super team.

Examining the number points to a ridiculous stat total for the 3 stars. What isn’t known is how much these 3 would need to adjust or individually give up if they were still on the same team. Golden State is learning through their adjustment to K.D., but in truth their numbers aren’t that much different.

So, this brings me to my next tangent:

If the OKC former Big had remained together how would they measure up against the two ‘Super Teams’ most have written in ink to return to the finals in 2017?

How the ‘Super Teams’ compare to OKC former Big 3:

Comparing the top stat line to that of the Big 3 in Cleveland and Golden State it sends one into fits of tears just imagining what could have been. OKC’s former 3 dominate every major stat category except 3 point shots and makes.

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Remembering this is speculation, there are intangibles to consider. Could Russ, James and K.D. have worked as cohesively together as the Cavs and Warriors do? Would one or two of them have been willing to give up some of their stats for the betterment of the Thunder?

And most importantly who have taken the role of lead dog? For Cleveland, it was never a question James would take that position and for the Warriors it’s actually Draymond Green who assumes that position.

Whether these three could have ever resolved their differences will be a question that never gets answered. In the end, we are left to opine simply on what could have been.

Ultimately, I’ve decided to focus on the task at hand and the team as constructed. I know Russell Westbrook, (at least in my humble opinion) is the player I would consistently have kept of the three given a choice. To that end, I’ll move on to my next pressing thought which is whether Westbrook will mirror Oscar Robertson and average a triple-double this season.

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And with that, I return to reality and remember Friday the 13th is meant for screams and scary movies ????