New season, new pattern, the league competition changes rapidly! In the East, the Cavaliers are in the lead with a record of 31 wins and 4 losses, surpassing the defending champion Celtics (26 wins and 10 losses) at the top; in the West, the Thunder is making great progress, ranking first in the West with 30 wins and 5 losses! According to statistics, this is the first time since the 1971-72 season that two teams have won more than 30 games in the first 35 games of the season! In another statistical data, after Christmas, the Thunder has won all seven games, surpassing the Cavaliers (5 wins and 0 losses), the best in the league at the same period! Without a doubt, the Oklahoma City Thunder is the hottest team in the league right now, with a promising situation!
The Thunder has won 15 consecutive victories, breaking the team's historical record. Last season, the Thunder could only be considered a dark horse in the West. During the regular season, the Thunder tied with the former champion Denver Nuggets in the West with a record of 57 wins and 25 losses! However, in the eyes of many people, the Thunder is too young. They can dominate the regular season but find it difficult to achieve anything in the playoffs. As expected, the Thunder swept Zion 4-0 in the first round, but was hit by the Mavericks' iron fist in the Western Conference semifinals, losing 2-4 and being eliminated, exposing shortcomings such as lack of experience and an empty interior! Last offseason, the Thunder spent $87 million over three years to bring in heavyweight center Hatten and traded for former Lakers championship guard Caruso! Obviously, the Thunder is aiming to take another step forward and win in the present.
In the new season, despite injury concerns, the Thunder has still stood out in the wild West! So far, the Thunder leads the West with a record of 30 wins and 5 losses, ahead of the second-place Rockets (23 wins and 12 losses) by 7 games, the fourth-place Nuggets (20 wins and 14 losses) by 9.5 games, the seventh-place Clippers (20 wins and 16 losses) by 10.5 games, and the tenth-place Spurs (18 wins and 18 losses) by 12.5 games. More importantly, the Thunder is currently on a 15-game winning streak, setting a new team record for the longest winning streak, and they have a perfect 10-0 record against Eastern Conference teams this season, earning the nickname "Invincible in the East"!
The Thunder is unstoppable, playing brotherly basketball to the extreme, excelling in both offense and defense! This season, the Thunder ranks eighth in the league in offensive efficiency (114.8), first in defensive efficiency (102.7), steals (11.8), and plus-minus (+12.1). More crucially, the Thunder has SGA, a formidable player who is both stable and fierce! Taking this 15-game winning streak as an example, SGA has once again elevated his game dominance to a new level! For instance, against the Pacers, SGA scored 45 points with 7 rebounds and 8 assists; against the Wizards, SGA had 41 points with 9 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks; against the Timberwolves, SGA scored 40 points with 3 rebounds and 2 assists; and against the Celtics, SGA had 33 points with 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks!
So far this season, SGA has played in every game, averaging 34.5 minutes per game, scoring an average of 31.3 points (third in the league) + 5.6 rebounds + 6.1 assists + 2 steals + 1.1 blocks + 2.2 three-pointers, with a shooting percentage of 52.4%, a three-point percentage of 36%, and a free throw percentage of 88.8%, and a true shooting percentage of 63.7%. According to NBA official website statistics, SGA ranks first in the league in both free throw makes (7.1) and plus-minus (+12.2), and second in net efficiency (+16.9). Additionally, SGA is the third player in NBA history to score at least 30 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block in a single season, following Jordan and Wade! This is the new season's SGA, integrating offense and defense, stable and fierce!
It is worth noting that during the Thunder's 15-game winning streak, SGA averaged 33.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 2.4 steals. He is the fourth guard in NBA history to score at least 30 points during a 15-game winning streak, following Jordan, Curry, and Harden, all of whom won the regular-season MVP in their respective seasons. SGA also has the potential to continue this feat! The latest NBA MVP rankings show that SGA is ranked second, just behind Jokic! Like Jokic, SGA possesses unparalleled sample data and dominance in both offense and defense; unlike Jokic, the Thunder's record far exceeds the Nuggets; more importantly, Jokic has won 3 MVPs in the past 4 years, which may cause some aesthetic fatigue, and the league also needs a new face like SGA who is both handsome and capable! What do you think about this, basketball fans? Leave me a comment to discuss it.