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Like Joaquin Phoenix sitting on his throne in "Gladiator," the Oklahoma City Thunder must hold a week of playoff practices not knowing who their Round 1 opponent will be until Friday night. The play-in tournament will determine which four teams capture the seventh and eighth seeds.
Arguably Adam Silver's best brainchild, the play-in tournament is an extra espresso shot to your fully caffeinated iced coffee filled with enough sugar to make your dentist squeal. Four teams enter and only two leave battered and bruised against the top two seeds.
The Thunder will have to wait for who among the Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks capture the eighth seed. The Grizzlies-Warriors loser will face the Mavericks-Kings winner to determine that on Friday.
Here's who the Thunder should root for to advance as Thunder Wire ranks the four play-in tournament teams from easiest to most difficult matchups:
4. Sacramento Kings
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In a season that's felt like a decade, the Kings played their season opener with a different head coach and All-Star-esque guard combo than it did in their season finale. Mike Brown and De'Aaron Fox were recast for Doug Christie and Zach LaVine. Talk about a downgrade.
In typical Kings fashion, ownership refuses to concede an insurmountable situation. They zombied through the second half of the season with a Chicago Bulls reunion of LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. Meanwhile, Domantas Sabonis has dealt with injuries.
The Kings' Frankenstein roster made the play-in only because they had to. Nobody else in the West wanted to step up. That's one of the downsides of the tournament as only the bottom 10 teams see their season end after 82 games. If they get lucky and advance, the Thunder should make easy work of them. They won all three matchups convincingly with the closest margin being 16 points.
3. Dallas Mavericks
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Everything said about the Kings can be copied and pasted about the Mavericks. Except Sacramento's impromptu roster makeover is peanuts compared to Dallas'. In the trade that shocked the NBA world, the Mavericks completely revamped their roster and identity when they dealt Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis.
The repercussions of the deal will be felt for the next decade. The Mavericks completely alienated the relationship with their fanbase by one move. Doncic's return to Dallas last week was highlighted by a tearful tribute video and the crowd audibly chanting for GM Nico Harrison to be fired.
Another trickle-down effect of the deal was that the Mavericks no longer have the Thunder's number. Before the trade, they had a fear factor that the rest of the West didn't. They won seven of nine games going back to last year's playoff series. That's vanished — even more so now with Kyrie Irving out due to a torn ACL. All of their scariness is gone.
2. Memphis Grizzlies
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Another team in turmoil, the Grizzlies only made the third-most shocking move of the season when they fired Taylor Jenkins two weeks ago. That feels like old news now in such a transaction-happy season. To their credit, the risky move has had some dividends since then.
Ja Morant has played his best basketball. He returned to being the focal point of their offense. Under Jenkins, he was more of a complimentary piece. Now he's back to playing a hero-ball style that makes him a serious scoring threat. That said, they continue to lose to any formidable opponent. That's been a theme all year. They beat up the basement dwellers but get punched down by teams at or above their tier.
The Thunder won all four games convincingly. They were all blowouts despite entering some of those games down a couple of guys while the Grizzlies were completely healthy. This would be a fun series with a clash of styles and the storyline of OKC yanking Memphis' chain as the up-and-coming squad, but it'd be quick work as the latter's lack of depth would be exposed.
1. Golden State Warriors
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This is going chalk with the standings but it's tough not to be most scared of the Warriors. They're just one of five teams to beat the Thunder at least twice this season. They also have the championship pedigree and talent to be one of the more dangerous eighth seeds ever.
We all know what Stephen Curry can do. Even at 37 years old, he can completely flip a playoff series with demoralizing 3-pointers. Don't even get me started on Draymond Green. For as talented as he is, having to deal with him for an entire playoff series could invoke headaches and crash-outs on the Thunder. Like The Joker, he loves being in chaos.
Then there's Jimmy Butler. Since he was acquired at the trade deadline, the Warriors have been one of the best teams in the NBA. The 35-year-old is the perfect final running mate for Curry as he oozes playoff experience with two NBA Finals trips on the Miami Heat. Pair that with his favorable whistle, he could win a playoff game by himself.
If the Thunder match up with the Warriors in the playoffs, it'll be a cruel joke by the basketball gods. Enjoyed being one of the most dominant regular-season teams in NBA history? Here's your reward, a battle-tested Golden State squad that could replay what its 2007 squad did.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Ranking the 4 play-in tournament teams Thunder could face in playoffs
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