OKC Thunder drafted 3 MVP winners in a row

[The Coochie Assassin]

You reap what you sow NBA Gods didn't like what OKC did to Seattle and let it be known without hurting KD, Russ and Harden's overall careers. They still MVPs while OKC never gets a ring.

 

[Kairi Irving]

Back to Seattle they go

 

[FTBS]

You have a point no doubt but great organizations do what it takes to get it done if they feel they have the players to do so. Lakers had Shaq and Kobe and were getting their asses handed to them by the Spurs and Jazz so they brough in Phil Jackson. We could debate all day about Mark Jackson deserving the credit for GSW's success but history will show that once the FO brought Kerr in they did get over the hump.

And Harden disapearing in the finals was not his fault. The Heat targetted him secifically because they knew Durant would get his if not even up with LeBron but if they allowed him (Harden) to go off they would never recover. Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade himself said this that the entire series Spoelstra stressed nullifying Harden's impact was the primary goal.

NBA Finals: Miami defense has focused on taking out James Harden

So i cant blame this on Harden entirely.

Wholeheartedly agree regarding the coaching shyt. It's kind of ironic that an org that is so great with player evaluation has such a shyt record with coaches.

Harden has had more than his fair share of playoff struggles since too. So it wasn't just age or the opponent.

 

[CHICAGO]

To be fair, OKC stayed getting their ho card pulled by Memphis. It took a Reggie Jackson late game run in 2014 for them not be eliminated in the 1st round by them

THEY MET 2 TIMES IN THE PLAYOFFS
AND MEMPHIS WON THE TIME
WESTBROOK WAS OUT WITH THE KNEE INJURY.



​

 

[Cyber]

I think injuries were a bigger part of why they didn't win a title or at least reach an additional finals. No Westbrook for most of 2013 postseason, Ibaka was out vs Spurs iirc, no KD for 2015, got Klay'd in 2016 in a series vs a better team that they nearly beat

From potential dynasty in 2009 to basketball wasteland in 2019, with no rings to show for it, what a turnaround

 

[Yungin]

They wasted it with horrible coaches, cheapness and a racist cess pit of a city.

Yea this pretty much sums it up right here

 

[SunZoo]

I think injuries were a bigger part of why they didn't win a title or at least reach an additional finals. No Westbrook for most of 2013 postseason, Ibaka was out vs Spurs iirc, no KD for 2015, got Klay'd in 2016 in a series vs a better team that they nearly beat

From potential dynasty in 2009 to basketball wasteland in 2019, with no rings to show for it, what a turnaround

And if KD wasn't such a bytch, they would have had Dipo and Sabonis added to their roster and would have had as man deep playoff runs, if not as many chips as GSW has.

Letting Harden go is only a misstep because of the price discrepancy and how he ended up looking in D'antoni's system.

Don't get me wrong, he's dope af, but so was Linsanity for a time period, had he spent more time in that system he could have leveled up to an all-star player.

Had Harden gone to another team, I don't think he wins an MVP or makes the trade look as bad as it does now considering he wasn't going to want to keep coming off the bench.

 

[Sterling Archer]

To be fair, OKC stayed getting their ho card pulled by Memphis. It took a Reggie Jackson late game run in 2014 for them not be eliminated in the 1st round by them

Memphis, especially those years was ALWAYS a tough out for ANY team. A young one overcoming chemistry issues notwithstanding.