Who created the Thunder? The Lakers, Clippers, and Rockets are the fault

4 to 1, is this the intensity of the division final? In the first round, facing the Lakers with Doncic and James, and in the second round, the Timberwolves achieved easy slaughter, but when facing the Thunder, the Timberwolves were like a little chicken, and were beaten by the Thunder without any power to fight back. Does that mean that the Thunder is easier to fight the Lakers and the Warriors? Seeing this, people can't help but think of what conditions did a monster like the Thunder be born? In fact, there are quite a few people who want to blame, and the Lakers, Clippers and Rockets are to blame.

How powerful is the Thunder this season? I believe everyone has heard of it, with an offense and defense, leading other teams in a gap, and the Clippers should have the greatest contribution. In order to build a super strong team, the Clippers, who had been thinking about George with Alexander, Gallinari, four unprotected first-round picks, one lotto protecting first-round picks and two draft picks exchange rights. Perhaps the Clippers themselves would not have thought that in just five years, Alexander grew into the league's MVP, and George had already left the Clippers.

What makes the Clippers most heartbroken is that the draft picks they sent at the time have become the fuel bank for the Thunder to rebuild. These draft picks later transformed into high-quality rookies such as Gidey (2021 sign No. 6), Jaylen Williams (2022 sign No. 12). Especially Jaylen Williams, who was selected in 2022, has shown his offense and defense attributes this season and has become the most capable assistant around Alexander.

If the Clippers helped the Thunder complete reconstruction, then the Rockets are the key to helping the Thunder grow. After the Thunder sent out core player Westbrook, they obtained the Rockets the right to swap Paul and first-round picks in 2024 and 2026, as well as the first-round picks in 2021 and 2025 from the Rockets. Paul's arrival taught his basketball wisdom selflessly to young players such as Alexander. This growth environment has allowed Alexander to make progress far faster than expected. The price the Rockets paid to get rid of Paul's contract eventually became an important puzzle for the Thunder's reconstruction.

Finally, it was the assist sent by the Lakers. When the Thunder took advantage of the Lakers' championship, they wanted the defender to share the pressure of James' ball holding. They exchanged Schroder for Green + No. 28, and then used the No. 28 sign and Rubio to send back the Timberwolves, successfully replacing the No. 17 sign. In this way, under the uninterrupted operation of the management, the Thunder stocked up a large number of draft picks, laying the foundation for their rise later. Until Gidey exchanged for Caruso, the Thunder's final lineup completed the restructuring and began to defeat all sides this season.

The arms race between the Lakers and the Clippers to compete for the championship objectively distracted the league's attention to the Thunder's reconstruction. When the media focus is on the luxury lineup of the two Los Angeles champions, the Thunder management was able to steadily advance the reconstruction plan in a relatively low-key environment to avoid young players under too much pressure too early. It was too late when everyone discovered that the Thunder became an invincible existence.

The current Thunder not only has terrifying combat power, but also has talent and draft picks that are envied by the entire league. The endings of all this are achieved through so many years of tolerance. How many years has this giant been able to rule the league? Some people can’t wait to compare the current lineup with the third young master of Thunder back then.