There's not a whole lot to get excited about as a Thunder fan right now.
A lost season, by most accounts, thanks to injuries, some bad luck, a hot New Orleans team and just not enough wins.
Next year, the Thunder will be one of the favorites to be playing in late May, but as far as this year goes, here are a few things to be thankful for from a Thunder perspective:
1. No more Rockets
Admit it, it's OK. We all sorta feel the same way. We're not made out of plastic and tinfoil. We have feelings and it felt pretty good to see James Harden falter and Patrick Beverley sit on the bench.
Over the past few seasons, it's near impossible to separate the Thunder and the Rockets thanks to the Harden trade and the Beverley-Russell Westbrook dust-up.
So, there's just a bit of joy to be had in the fact Beverley was hurt and Harden fell apart â not once, but more than a few times against the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.
Perhaps no two players have had more influence over the Thunder's postseason than Beverley, who knocked out Westbrook in the playoffs, and with it, sunk what may have been the best Thunder team. With Harden, yes, the Thunder lost a great scorer and one of the league top talents, but it's been a virus for the organization, something that sometimes goes away but is always in your system. The Harden conversation will always be part of the organization, from the trade fallout to the vacated locker between Westbrook and Durant.
Seeing Beverely hurt and unable to help appears to be a bit of karma. Seeing Harden fall apart seems to be familiar.
Both seemed appropriate.
2. The Spurs and the Hawks are out
Nothing against the Spurs. Nothing against the Hawks, but both of those teams being eliminated mean we don't have to hear about how the Thunder should copy their style.
You know the narrative: Gotta share the ball. Gotta move the ball. Gotta find the open man.
Umm, no you don't. Give it to LeBron. Clear out of the way. Give it to Steph and Klay and let the 3-pointers fly.
The team concept is great in theory. It works in practice, but only sometimes. In this league you need a superstar to advance. The Thunder have that -- and some.
With Kevin Durant and Westbrook, OKC is all the things the Hawks aren't. Working the ball to the open man is a great idea, but if it ends up with an open Andre Roberson 3-pointer than what's the point?
More Durant shots. More Westbrook shots. Nothing wrong with that. The Thunder system doesn't work when either Westbrook or Durant is out, but when they both play, it doesn't take a Spurs-like offense, mimicked by the Hawks, to get wins.
If, by some chance, the Hawks would have made the Finals, the talk about how you don't need a star for success would have been insufferable. The fact is, you do need a star. The Thunder are built with Westbrook and Durant at the core and with players in place around them. Cleveland is buit with LeBron and other pieces. Same goes for the Warriors.
A Spurs Final poisons the water. It makes people think that's the only way to win.
In Oklahoma City, the system isn't set up that way.
3. More Kendrick Perkins
For a guy who would fumble a roll of duct tape, couldn't jump and was, how do you say, offensively challenged during his time in Oklahoma City, seeing Perkins have some success in Cleveland is kind of nice.
Perkins is lovable and a reminder of happier times in Oklahoma City. Although he took some abuse â some of it deserved â as did coach Scott Brooks for sticking with Perkins in any and all situations, Perkins was the ultimate good guy, team player.
You knew Durant loved him and Westbrook respected him. Perkins won a title, something the rest of the Thunder players hadn't done, and now Perkins is taking that same leadership role in Cleveland, even if he doesn't play.
It's hard to watch Perkins, whether he plays or is on the bench, and not smile. He meant a lot to the Thunder organization, it's good to see he's being appreciated by Cleveland and LeBron.
Follow Andrew Gilman on Twitter: @andrewgilmanOK
