The Thunder’s mission is clear. Beat the superior Houston Rockets four times in nine days to advance in the Western Conference playoffs.
Doable, I suppose.
Until you remember that the Thunder has four playoff victories in the past 1,550 days.
The franchise that once was a playoff crackerjack has become a flop. OKC had 10 series advancements in the six playoffs from 2011-16. But none since. Three straight first-round defeats and on the verge of another, now that Houston is up 2-0 after a couple of double-digit victories that has left the Thunder bewildered.
How could teams with exact regular-season records be on opposite sides of such a gulf on a neutral court in the Disney World bubble?