The Thunder are even worse than the 76ers in the 4th quarter
The Oklahoma City Thunder were upended in shocking fashion by the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. Despite holding a 22-point lead late in the second quarter, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook let their team fall by five.
It was bad, but, apparently, this type of loss isn't new for these Thunder (via ESPN):
Blown leads have become something of a trend for the Thunder this season. They have lost nine games this season when leading entering the fourth quarter, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Only the 76ers have more such losses.
That's not good. Oklahoma City is a perfectly respectable 42-19, but only one game up in the loss column on the Clippers. And dropping to the four seed would set up a second-round battle against the Golden State Warriors. For obvious reasons, that's not something the Thunder want:
This all brings up the hugely significant question that's subtly overshadowing the entire NBA: Will Durant leave Oklahoma City this summer?
The reasons why he should stay—be it on a two-year deal that lets him maximize his earning potential, or a five-year pact that locks him into a Thunder jersey throughout his prime—are clear: The Thunder is a good organization! Despite blowing all those fourth-quarter leads, they still have the second-highest offensive rating in the NBA, and it's hard to find a better teammate tandem than Westbrook and Serge Ibaka.
On the other hand:
If KD went to Boston, they'd be a 60+ win team https://t.co/wohDrDhSYM
— Nate Jones (@JonesOnTheNBA) March 3, 2016
Durant has options. He can team up with Steph Curry and the Warriors, or head east and try to dominate that conference for the foreseeable future as the primary option in Boston or with the Washington Wizards. Maybe he joins forces with old pal James Harden down in Houston?
Who knows? But if the Thunder don't have a good showing in this year's playoffs, speculation will reach an all-time high.
