May 13, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Savannah James, LeBron James and Rich Paul are seated in the front row during the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the second round between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics during the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Mortgage Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been undoubtedly the best team in the NBA over the past two seasons. Last year, they achieved a historic 68-14 record in the regular season and eventually took home the Larry O’Brien Trophy. This year, they look poised to go back-to-back, with a 21-1 start fueling rumors of 70 wins.
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Everyone who follows the NBA knows what makes the Thunder so dominant. They played the best defense in the league and forced a lot of turnovers from their opponents. On the other hand, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the best scorer in the NBA. He scored 30 points in a daze. The reigning MVP helped crush his opponents.
But according to one prominent NBA figure, there’s an intangible benefit to the Thunder’s historic success – home court advantage. Since the start of the 2024-25 regular season, their home record is an NBA-best 46-6. In the playoffs, they only lost to two improbable winners in Aaron Gordon and Tyrese Haliburton.
Rich Paul believes the Thunder will be nearly unstoppable at Paycom Center, but for another reason that most people haven’t really thought about before. He believes the Thunder are a “sleepy” small-market city that helps put opponents into a sleepy state before games begin.
Max Kellerman recently recounted what the NBA superagent told him on Bill Simmons’ “The Ringer” podcast
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“His point of view was, ‘But, yeah, but they’re playing in Oklahoma City, you’ve got to take some points off,'” Kellerman said. “When you get there, you have no energy. The teams they’re going to face have no energy. They’re already thinking, ‘In a few nights, we’re going to get to L.A. and there’s no energy.'”
Uh, I don’t know about that. Considering Paul runs the Klutch Sports agency and his biggest client is LeBron James, he knows the inner workings of the NBA better than the average fan. But it doesn’t feel right to say that the opposing team didn’t get up against the Thunder.
Especially since they are the defending NBA champions. You always circle these games on your calendar. This is a great way to measure how your team stacks up against the league’s best teams.
You could say the Thunder is a pretty boring city — especially by NBA player standards. There’s nothing wrong with that. certainly. any. But it’s a bit ridiculous to suggest that the Denver Nuggets’ high altitude plays a role in their on-court production.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Why Rich Paul thinks ‘lethargic’ OKC gives Thunder home-court advantage