For most of this NBA season, it felt like a foregone conclusion that the Oklahoma City Thunder were going to be back in the NBA Finals and be competing for a second straight championship. After all, this was a team that came into the season as the defending champions. They started the year on an incredible run, opening the season at 24-1 and conversations began about whether they could challenge the historic 73-win record set by the Golden State Warriors during the 2015-16 se

Listen, I know Adam Silver and the NBA have taken a lot of criticism over the past few years, even from a guy like me who loves the league. I've had my fair share of issues with it, whether it be the play-in tournament, as I think 82 games is enough to decide playoff teams throughout a regular season. Whether it's the NBA Cup, which I don't really think has picked up a full head of steam, whether it's how the contract structure is now, or players sitting out more games than t