After the first week of NBA basketball to kick off a brand new season, the reigning champions are still unbeaten. It hasn’t been easy, though, and Oklahoma City has certainly had to work for it.
The Thunder started off the season with back-to-back double overtime games — something that almost feels impossible. Oklahoma City had to exert so much energy to take down both the Houston Rockets and the Indiana Pacers, but gained valuable experience in the process. After the two thrillers, the Thunder skated by with a blowout win in Atlanta to cap off week number one.
In the first edition of NBA.com’s power rankings, it was a familiar face at the top. Oklahoma City spent the majority of last season holding the No. 1 ranking, and after winning the Finals, it’s where they started the season at. After one week, and an undefeated record, nothing has changed. There’s only one other undefeated team remaining in the Western Conference — the San Antonio Spurs. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the champs are still on top.
“The Thunder are without Jalen Williams and made history by going to double-overtime in both of their first two games,” John Schuhmann wrote. “But they’re 3-0 for the second straight year.
“The Thunder won their first seven games last season, and certainly have a chance at a similar start this year. Their win in Atlanta on Saturday was the first of two straight rest-advantage games on the road, but they’ll be at a disadvantage when they return home to face the Kings on Tuesday. They went 9-1 in rest-disadvantage games last season, with the only loss coming in Dallas.”
Oklahoma City’s record speaks for itself, but the reason this team sits atop the power rankings after the first week of the season should be about the way they’ve won these games. This Thunder team is without so many rotation players due to injury, including the team’s second best player in Jalen Williams. It would be hard for any team to go undefeated during this stretch considering what Oklahoma City is missing, but the Thunder just continue to win.
The other key fact here is that Oklahoma City is playing far from its best basketball and still remains undefeated. The Thunder has traditionally been a rock solid 3-point shooting team during its rise to the top of the NBA. Through three games, though, they rank No. 29 — second to last — in 3-point percentage. They have been ice cold in terms of shooting, yet still found a way to remain unbeaten.
Oklahoma City is still deserving of the top spot, and one they get key players back from injury, the operation on the floor will only look better. It’s a big season for the Thunder, and they have all the ingredients to go back-to-back.