Spurs-Thunder, Game 6: A Dynasty In The Making

Last night, the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the San Antonio Spurs 107-99 in front of a raucous home crowd to dispatch the Spurs from the Western Conference Finals in 6 games. The fact that OKC won the game and the series is important, but not as important as what the historical significance may end up being. The same sentiment is no doubt being written in sports columns and blog posts all over the country, but it bears repeating: we might be witnessing the birth of a dynasty here.

OKC is the model franchise of the NBA right now. They boast the best group of young homegrown talent in the league, and their 2 biggest stars, Durant and Westbrook, are only 23…yet the Thunder locked them up to longterm contract extensions already, a rarity in today’s age of free agency (Durant is signed through the 2015-2016 season). The other 2 main cogs, Harden and Ibaka, are each only 22.

Hey NBA, get used to this scene.

Considering their respective ages, OKC seems way ahead of schedule. The NBA is traditionally a veterans’ league. Simply put, young teams don’t win NBA championships. In the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 seasons, the Thunder won 20 and then 23 games. The next year OKC won 50 games before getting bounced in the 1st round of the playoffs by the Lakers. Last year, they won 55 games and lost to Dallas in the Conference Finals. This year, they improved their winning percentage once again, and even if they don’t win it all they improved upon last season’s postseason finish already.

That trend suggests that the young Thunder will continue on an upward arc next season, as their core will presumably be intact, and Durant, Westbrook, and company will only continue to get better. Let’s repeat the ages of KD, Westbrook, Harden, and Ibaka again just to be clear: 23, 23, 22, and 22. The only 2 acquisitions of real consequence GM Sam Presti has made in the last 2 years have been Kendrick Perkins and Derek Fisher. They have given OKC toughness and veteran leadership, but let’s be fair here…the franchise’s future depends on the 4 young studs that I just mentioned.

Presti needs to continue to fill the roster with the right type of complimentary players the next few years, but his most pressing issues are in-house: extending Harden and Ibaka (and to a lesser extent Eric Maynor, who may have been the best backup point guard in the league prior to tearing his ACL this year…Maynor’s injury may have very well driven down his pricetag though, making it easier for the Thunder to resign him). Once thought as a nice complimentary scorer, this year Harden has shown that he might be 1 of the top 15-20 players in the whole league, and he would command major dinero on the open market. Similarly, Ibaka has gone from a player with potential to the type of guy who could see 8 digit per year salary offers as well. Win or lose this year, OKC’s brass will have some important decisions to make regarding Harden and Ibaka given that Durant and Westbrook have already signed contracts for big money. They simply might not be able to afford all of them.

Then again, Harden and Ibaka may follow the lead of Durant (the league’s most unassuming superstar) and Westbrook by choosing to sign with OKC early on. I don’t put it past anyone to simply pick whatever team is offering them the most cash. Money still talks after all…but the guys on this Thunder team genuinely seem to like each other, and maybe for once the chance to make history will outweigh dollars and cents. There is less parody in the NBA than any other league. 5 NBA franchises (Lakers, Celtics, Sixers, Bulls, and Spurs) have won nearly every NBA championships since the inception of the league. If the Thunder win this year and can keep those 4 guys together, they just might add themselves to the list.