Despite clinching a coveted spot in mid-March for the NBA Playoffs 2013, there’s a lot still in the air for the NBA Finals runner-up, Oklahoma City Thunder. The team is currently sitting atop the Western Conference, but there’s still time for the Denver Nuggets to catch up in the Northwest Division or for the San Antonio Spurs to knock the Thunder out of first place.
After the unexpected trade of James Harden to the Houston Rockets after the 2012 season, questions arose about the Thunder’s ability to return to the playoffs again, but the trio of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka has risen to the occasion. Durant is currently second in the NBA for points per game, averaging 28.3 alongside an average of 7.9 rebounds per game, while Westbrook is holding down the assists for the Thunder with 7.5 per game as well as 1.8 steals per game, and Ibaka is leading the league in blocks with 3.09 per game, and is also in the top five in the league for field goal percentage (57.8).
If the Thunder continues to hold down first place in the Western Conference, they’re looking at a match-up of against either the L.A. Lakers or the Utah Jazz—both of whom are fighting for the coveted eighth playoff spot in the conference. If the Thunder slides to second, they’ll face one of two teams battling for sixth place—either the Houston Rockets or the Golden State Warriors.
The Thunder is returning to the playoffs for the fourth year straight and fourth time in five years since the former Seattle Supersonics moved to Oklahoma City. Be there throughout the postseason journey, which just may result in another showdown with the Heat, by purchasing Thunder playoff tickets today from the Vivid Seats marketplace.
