The narrative of this year’s NBA playoffs has centered around the league’s newfound, intentionally crafted parity — and to a degree, it’s warranted. The postseason has felt razor-thin in terms of margins. Seeding has meant little, creating the illusion of a truly wide-open title race.

But in truth, it isn’t.

With their 118-103 win over the Timberwolves on Thursday, the Oklahoma City Thunder — now up 2-0 in the Western Conference Finals — continue to separate themselves from an otherwise tightly bunched field. The reality is that this supposed parity exists only in the race for second place, a scrap among solid-but-flawed teams battling for the smallest of advantages.

Among the final four, Oklahoma City stands well apart — and barring a major injury, they’re on a clear path to the championship. The Timberwolves may convince themselves the series isn’t over, but it is. And whichever team emerges from the East won’t stand a chance either. The Thunder are simply too dominant.

Skeptics might point to OKC needing seven games to get past Denver, or speculate that Memphis could’ve posed a challenge had Ja Morant stayed healthy — weak arguments attempting to label this young squad as beatable. That case might’ve held water if Boston hadn’t collapsed — both in health and in blowing two 20-point leads to the Knicks. But once the Celtics fell, the Thunder became the undeniable front-runners. Read more…

Source: MSN