On the other hand, all of the underlying numbers are begging us to buy the Thunder as an NBA Finals favorite. OKC (44-10) has lapped the Western Conference. The Thunder is the best team in the West by such a significant margin that anything short of a Finals trip would be a bummer.

At the All-Star break, the Oklahoma City Thunder prettily sit at the top of the Western Conference standings. With a 44-10 record and eight-game lead, they should cruise to a second straight first-seed finish.

The Thunder are outscoring opponents by an average of 12.9 points per game. The next closest team to the OKC is Cleveland, outscoring opponents by 10.8 points, and Memphis in the West at 7.5 points. Not only is Oklahoma City’s point differential impressive,