This week, the NBA released team schedules for the upcoming season, along with highly anticipated series’s including the NBA Cup, Rivalry Week, and much more. it’s no surprise that Oklahoma City was included in many of the marquee events, as the reigning NBA champions tied a league-high in nationally televised games.
For the second year in a row, Oklahoma City will take park in the NBA Rivals Week that’ll tip off during the week of January 20th. According to the NBA’s X account, Rivals Week will feature “classic and budding rivalries to take center stage.” However, despite Oklahoma City netting two games during the anticipated week, there’s nothing classic or budding in regard to a rivalry between either of the Thunder’s opponents.
Oklahoma City is set to square off first against the Milwaukee Bucks on January 21st, and the team has no prior history with the Bucks outside of regular season matchups. The two teams have never really had bad blood on the court, and they’ve never met in the postseason before. The biggest matchup the two teams have had was during last season’s NBA Cup championship, and the game wasn’t particularly close.
In the Thunder’s second matchup of the week, Oklahoma City will take on the Indiana Pacers in an NBA Finals rematch. The game will lose much of its shine, though, as Tyrese Halliburton will be out for the season’s entirety. The Finals matchup between the two small-market franchises was full of respect, and each game was ultra competitive but nothing ever got out of hand.
With the two matchups scheduled, it appears that the NBA went with a rematch between both championship games that occurred during last season. But neither the Bucks nor the Pacers would be considered a rivalry on either end, and isn’t that what Rivals Week is supposed to be all about?
Across the NBA, and specifically in the Western Conference, Oklahoma City has multiple teams that could be considered rivals. From playoff battles, to superstar showdowns, and stars that have left the franchise, there were plenty of different teams and storylines to choose from. As this Thunder team has risen, there have been narratives created with multiple teams along the way — and any of those matchups would’ve caught the eye of viewers.
Generally speaking, the Houston Rockets would’ve been an easy sell. With the addition of former Thunder forward Kevin Durant, along with the timeline of both teams’ ascension, Oklahoma City and Houston seem destined to go back and forth for years to come. The two will square off on opening night, but another matchup during Rivals Week would’ve made perfect sense.
In addition to Houston, fans likely would’ve loved to see an elevated matchup between the Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks — one of Oklahoma City’s most competitive playoff series’s over the last two seasons. Being close in proximity has fueled the fire, and a grueling playoff series only added to it between the two fanbases. Of course, Luka Doncic is gone, but it wouldn’t take much for the rivalry to reignite.
There’s plenty other options, too, including a battle of the two MVPs in Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Timberwolves and Thunder have played in high-stakes playoff games with plenty of animosity, and the Oklahoma City and Golden State have history that goes back a decade — now it would be a battle between one dynasty and a dynasty hopeful. The NBA has also heavily pushed the Thunder and Spurs narrative and rivalry, and even debuted that series this week a season ago.
In all, it feels like a missed opportunity to pair the Thunder against a true rival. Of course, the action against the Bucks and Pacers will be top tier basketball with plenty of stars, but overall, it feels like there could’ve been an alternative.