The Thunder was due one of these defeats. OKC, which remains sixth in the Western Conference at 32-21, has lived on the edge, winning close game after close game.
But the Thunder is not an elite team. OKC is one of the NBA's 13 winning-record teams and now is 7-15 against the other 12, while feasting (25-6) against the other squads. Stevens heaped praise, pre- and post-game, on the Thunder, talking about how savvy this team has become.
Savvy, fun, lovable even. But not great. The Thunder is one player shy of that status, and Sunday, that player was Marcus Smart.