When Game One of the National Basketball Association Finals tips off in two days, the Thunder will be overwhelming favorites, and for a reason. En route, they forged a dominant campaign that compares with the best in pro hoops annals. It isn’t simply that they’re back on the big stage for the first time in 13 years; they have stormed the gates of greatness with authority, and how. They are no fluke. Theirs is no Cinderella run, but, rather, a culmination of vision, patience, and elite player development that now puts them on the cusp of a championship.
Needless to say, newly minted Most Valuable Player awardee Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been at the forefront of the Thunder’s run. He’s the engine, the fulcrum, the closer of a juggernaut that runs on efficiency and precision. His ability to control the pace, get to his spots, and make the right reads under pressure — and on both ends of the court — make him the most reliable crunch-time player in the Finals, with all due respect to transcendent point guard Tyrese Haliburton and All-Star Pascal Siakam of the Pacers.
To be sure, the Thunder underscore their superior standing by relying on a bevy of reserves to contribute significantly to the cause. If nothing else, they counterbalance one of the biggest weapons of the Pacers, who hitherto managed to run roughshod over the Bucks, Cavaliers, and Knicks in the playoffs by going 11 deep. They’re young and hungry, and because they compete with relentless energy, they possess the capacity to play to the opposition’s strengths and ultimately emerge victorious.
Not that the Pacers are any less deserving of the Larry O’Brien Trophy. At this point, the worst casual observers can do is discount the chances of the blue and gold to be the last men standing when all is said and done. All the same, there can be no sidestepping the Thunder’s ascendancy; not for nothing did they go 68-14 in the regular season, in the process never once losing to competition from the Eastern Conference at the Paycom Center. Which is to say homecourt advantage serves only to underscore their prime position. In other words, the Finals is shaping up to be a coronation.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.