Dean Blevins: Thunder dominate NBA, prepare for playoff push; Sooners, Cowboys gear up for NCAA and NIT action

As of this morning, the Thunder are now favorites to win the NBA title. They share the league’s best record at 56-12 with the slumping Cavaliers—who just lost their second straight game last night. Gnashing.

Victorious in 56 of 68 games is impressive, considering two things. First, OKC holds a commanding 12.5-game lead in the tough Western Conference. Second, the popular favorites to win it all again, the Celtics, are 6.5 games back. You’d think the slackers in the West should be so embarrassed they’d give OKC a 5-2 home-court playoff series advantage. But they’d have to take Big Blue the full seven games to even do that.

While OKC has done exceptionally well playing shorthanded, tonight they enter the home game against the Sixers short three starters: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) is resting, and Lou Dort and Jaylen Williams are out with injuries.

The Thunder should reasonably keep the pedal down through the end of the regular season (14 more games) while being conservative with decisions regarding the injured. That’s because it wouldn’t surprise me if the Cavs take down the Celtics, which would make the win-loss records of OKC and Cleveland even more significant.

Meanwhile, the Sooners prepare to take on two-time defending national champion UConn Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. If Porter Moser can guide Loyola-Chicago to a Final Four and a Sweet Sixteen, upsetting the 4.5-point favored Huskies should be within his grasp.

Will the brutal SEC schedule the Sooners endured help them prepare for a national power? It should. But UConn isn’t outcoached often, with the mercurial—and you can fill in the blank—Danny Hurley burning thousands of calories on the sideline for the Huskies.

Congrats to the Cowboys. Steve Lutz led his Pokes to a home-court first-round 89-79 win over Wichita State in the NIT. It was a better effort than we’ve seen at times, as the coach has had to adjust. It was a strong 23-point performance in what could have been Bryce Thompson’s final game in GIA, the Tulsa native’s potential last night on the court.

The 16-17 Pokes now move on to a second game. And after a tough 2-7 Big 12 start, Coach Lutz could still lead his first OSU team to a .500 finish.