Think back in the 2011-12 days.
The days where the Oklahoma City Thunder was the new kid on the block. The days where the Thunder was a wee child of a team, but the team was performing as if it was a premier franchise in the league. Those days where Oklahoma City was led by a young Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, vying for top playoff spots and consistently reaching deep into the postseason.
Kyle Lowry, Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, giving the West issues—the Rockets always got one or two on the Thunder throughout the regular season. This quiet matchup would soon unfold into a matchup full of all-out disdain for the other team.
The rest of the league wouldn’t know it, but Oklahoma City versus Houston is a seriously chippy pairing.
Where’d it all start? Not too hard to guess.
One of the more polarizing players of recent in the NBA—Patrick Beverly.
Feb 19, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverly (2) dribbles the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
As a rookie, Beverly made one of the cheapest and costly moves to the opposition in recent history, and it came against the Thunder’s star guard Russell Westbrook in the first round of the NBA playoffs—just one year removed from Oklahoma City reaching the NBA Finals.
One of the most promising seasons in the Thunder’s history saw it cut short when Beverly recklessly lunged at Westbrook’s dribble, ultimately tearing his meniscus and sidelining him for the rest of the postseason. Oklahoma City and Kevin Durant couldn’t recover without the team’s second most valuable player, and the team would ultimately lose in the Western Conference semifinals.
Now in 2025, that’s developed into many heated battles, two other playoff series—both taken by the Rockets—and now, Houston harbors one of the Thunder’s most divisive figures in Durant.
On Tuesday night, the Thunder will open the season in front of its home crowd, flaunting the team’s ring ceremony in front of Durant as the team prepares to embark on a season full of back-to-back hopes. And for the Rockets, this is the best this team is anticipated to be since James Harden led a Houston team to a 65-17 record in 2017-18
Having the second best record in the West a year ago, just behind the eventual champs in the Thunder, Houston adds its star veteran in Durant. With Chet Holmgren and Alperen Sengun’s competitiveness keeping that chippy environment alive coupled with the fact that Oklahoma City’s fan base still hasn’t gotten over Durant’s departure—this is going to be a full-on, must-watch, intriguing rivalry.
And the NBA is recognizing that.