DALLAS — If there is a God — or at least a basketball God — may he (or she) grant the Oklahoma City Thunder good health throughout 2015 so we can finally find out what this team can — or can't — accomplish.
Beyond the ghost of James Harden, injuries to Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka derailed potential championship runs the last two postseasons. Now separate injuries to Kevin Durant's right foot — plus Westbrook's early season broken hand — threaten to ruin a third consecutive season since OKC's 2012 Finals loss to Miami.
For those scoring at home, that's five significant injuries to the Thunder's three most important players in the past 20 months.
Westbrook returned on Nov. 28 with the Thunder battling, but struggling at 3-12. The three-time All-Star has played mostly superbly, with the exception of late-game hardheadedness, especially evident in recently blown games to New Orleans, Portland and again Sunday at Dallas with Durant, Captain Clutch, helplessly sporting a turtleneck.
Durant's second return date remains undetermined. He participated in the team's Sunday morning shootaround and will be evaluated before the Thunder's next game on New Year's Eve, a key matchup against the suddenly streaking Phoenix Suns (18-14), the West's current No. 8 seed who have won six in a row to increase what was a shrinking lead over the previously oncoming Thunder (15-17) to three games.
During OKC's abbreviated run as a fully functioning team, they went 7-2 with losses only in Durant's somewhat rusty debut at New Orleans, and in his last game on Dec. 19 at Golden State. In that one he had 30 points with time left in the first half. Trying to make it 32, he rolled his ankle driving to the basket.
"We were encouraged by our play," Thunder forward Nick Collison said of the team at full strength. "We know what this year's been; it's been a lot of different lineups and things like that. But we got it going pretty well before he went down the second time. We're not too frustrated by it. We know he's going to get back at some point. That's kind of been the mantra all year is try to see the big picture."
The big picture is winning a championship before OKC heads into its Summer of Dread, Durant's Summer of Decision, in 2016.
A title in 2015 will be tough, but it remains doable. Tough because the Thunder likely won't get higher than the No. 8 seed, if lucky No. 7. No team has won an NBA championship lower than No. 6 (1994-95 Houston Rockets). Doable because we are talking Durant here, and let's throw this out there: while we praise the West with blanket greatness, perhaps it's time to pull back just a bit.
Yes, the Warriors are off to a flying start. But include Golden State and go down the list: Memphis, Houston, Dallas, the Clippers, San Antonio — do any present an unfair fight in a seven-game series?
And so as a stormy 2014 fades, it is time to see a full-throttle Thunder team the rest of the way.
It is time to see if they are as complete as they believe, with second-year center Steven Adams pushing Kendrick Perkins to the bench; with Anthony Morrow being the first 3-point specialist to space the floor alongside Westbrook and Durant; with Reggie Jackson playing for a contract.
It's time to see if they can deliver the team-oriented game they've preached; time to see if longtime coach Scott Brooks, always optimistic, always quick to the defense of his stars, can get them to do it. In those three winnable games turned crushing, questioning defeats, Brooks hasn't been able to control Westbrook, who admitted to straying from the called play in the final moments against Portland.
At Dallas, Westbrook and Jackson alternated ball-hogging duties during the final possessions with Morrow literally jumping to draw his teammates' attention and Ibaka, Brooks said, being guarded too tightly by Richard Jefferson to get him the ball.
Of course, Durant instantly alters that dynamic.
"I'm excited. Obviously we need everybody healthy," Brooks said. "But I like the fact that our guys compete regardless of who's on the floor. They get out there and compete. We haven't had as many wins as we would like, but we're competing every night. We put ourselves in a position to win games and we have a no-excuse mentality."
Here's what excites Brooks. In nine games with both superstars on the floor (including the Golden State game), OKC ranked 10th in the league (and seventh in the West) in offensive rating. Not bad considering rust and re-acclimation factors. More impressively, it ranked sixth overall (and second in the West behind Golden State) in defensive efficiency. The Thunder's 9.1 net rating ranked fourth overall and second in the West behind the Warriors.
"Good rhythm, good rhythm," Westbrook said of those nine games.
Just two weeks ago, with the reigning MVP in the fold, the Thunder hammered the Suns, 112-88, to move within one-half game of Phoenix and New Orleans for the final spot.
Suddenly a loss on Wednesday would shove them four games back. A win cuts it to just two. Suddenly this is real.
"In the West it seems like everybody is a good basketball team," Brooks said. "You really have to lock in and be committed to what you do. But when we're healthy, we're as good as any team."
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