Stiles Points: OKC Thunder Separate Themselves From Knicks, NBA Tiers Defined (2025)

Both teams started out rough offensively. With a lid on each basket, the first stoppage of the game made everyone look around, thinking they stepped out of a time machine to watch basketball played with peach baskets.

Some of this can be credited to the defenses of each side, some can be credited to off nights and slow starts. Though, in the midst of the laboring scoring efforts, the Oklahoma City Thunder clearly separated themselves from the New York Knicks and defined the tiers in the NBA.

Isaiah Joe checked into the game in the midst of the first quarter slop and in five minutes blitzed in a pair of triples to peel the lid off the bucket. Aside from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's spectacular game - producing 13 points in that sluggish opening frame - it was Joe off the bench that turned the tide.

As the Thunder and Knicks labored on offense, New York had no answers and Oklahoma City had the benefit of depth.

Joe finished with a career-best eight 3-pointers made en route to 31 points. OKC earned 50 points from its bench unit, with New York only netting just 24 off the pine.

This led the Thunder to cruise to a 126-101 win, marking back-to-back double-digit wins over the Knicks, sweeping the season series.

The wins came the same way. A role player stepped up, with Wiggins snatching victory from the jaws of defeat last Friday in Oklahoma City and Joe lighting up the scoreboard in MSG this Friday.

Basketball is a war of attrition in the midst of an 82-game season everyone must navigate for the right to play an additional three months to crown a champion. The Thunder have the depth needed and have clearly placed themselves in a different tier than the Knicks and most NBA teams.

The NBA is reaching a parody era, gone are the days of super teams and a welcomed sight sees multiple teams that can realistically win a championship. However, amidst that change, still comes a group of teams that do not need any luck, teams that you do not have to squint to see the vision of them hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

In this tier, only three teams sit. All with a similar formula. A top ten offense and defense, a bonafide top end talent, depth to survive, a quality coach and passing the eye test and statistical one with and without qualifiers. There should be no arguing over this trio.

  • Oklahoma City Thunder
  • Boston Celtics
  • Cleveland Cavaliers

Tier 2: Can Make a Run

While the three teams in tier one have a clear-cut title case, a handful of teams stil have a path to the NBA Finals, giving themselves a chance to win a championship. The difference? They do not check all the boxes. Some still get a passing grade for multiple requirements but others only fill one box.

  • Dallas Mavericks: With Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving at the top, the Mavericks are capable of getting health and making a run. They have two of the top players in the league - and proven winners. Role players are capable of getting hot. And a coach that despite being polarizing just wins in the postseason with already two deep runs under his belt. It is a big if, but if the Mavericks are healthy, they can beat anyone.
  • Denver Nuggets: Sure, this season has not gone according to plan. There are more questions than answers in the mile-high city. But what do the Nuggets have? The best player in the world and a quality coach. Sometimes, that is enough.
  • New York Knicks: You really have to get imaginative to paint a picture of a title run for the Knicks, a fanbase that longs for success and is rooted in loyalty. But, it is possible! The Knicks have a bonafide bucket-getter with Jalen Brunson and have flanked him with a high-end supporting cast in the starting lineup. As seen, their depth is brutal, but in the playoffs, starters take even more of the workload - if that is even possible. Though, the top tier alludes them due to the fact they are already having to play stars 40 minutes a night against top teams to compete, and that is a style that adds up quickly, especially when you have to survive three more months in the playoffs.
  • Milwaukee Bucks: The Bucks only have one box filled in. It is tough to bet against Giannis and Dame in very many playoff matchups. However with question marks regarding its coach and the rest of the roster, perhaps this is a generous ruling.
  • Memphis Grizzlies: While it feels as though Memphis has not been healthy in years if they get get-right come playoff time led by Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane and a slew of complimentary pieces, there is a possibility of a miracle run on Beale Street.
  • Orlando Magic: This is absolutely a stretch, I will admit to being a sucker on the front end, but they are a tweener team. It feels wrong to put them in the third tier, but it also is tough to sell title dreams in Orlando. Though, with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner returning, the Magic could be one of those strange conference finals-run teams if everything (Stress: everything) breaks right. Once you get to the conference finals, you belong in this group.
  • Minnesota Timberwolves: They made it last year, and Anthony Edwards rose to the occasion. But this is a completely different team, and this feels like another generous mark to give Minnesota. However, they are another tweener team.

This next tier is a group of teams that could push a first round series to six or seven games, perhaps even pull off one upset series win but the postseason will end in short order, ultimately.

  • Golden State Warriors: Steph Curry should still strike fear into teams game-planning for an entire series and he is capable of playing spoiler with his supporting cast in a tough Western Conference. However, it is hard to imagine them making it back to the NBA Finals.
  • Houston Rockets: What a jump from the Rockets! They are one of the biggest regular season success stories, but when push comes to shove, they do not have the most important piece in the playoffs: A go-to scorer.
  • Philadelphia 76ers: If you remember this scribe's preseason predictions, you know what a sucker I am for the 76ers. I am once again falling for them. The 76ers are going to be a play-in team at this rate and have the best collection of talent in that tournament. This is where the tough-out portion comes in. The Celtics or Cavs will be rewarded for a great regular season with a first-round date against Paul George, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. It's not exactly the Jameer Nelson Magic of old at the bottom of the East. Absolutely, the 76ers will swiftly exit the postseason, but they can push a series to six if healthy.
  • Atlanta Hawks: Trae Young already has a miracle run under his belt with every break of that postseason going his way. Couple the big-game nature of the bucket-getter with the lockdown defense of Dyson Daniels capable of stopping a team's top scorer on the other side, the Hawks can shave off a few games in the playoffs.

Tier 4: No true chance

These teams might make the play-in or even the playoffs, but they have no true chance at even a fluke run, and have a seldom chance at even a gentlemen's sweep.

  • Detroit Pistons: This season should be viewed as a massive success for the Motor City crew. Cade Cunningham is playing his best basketball, the young pieces are coming around and the veteran additions are tying everything together. This is the most success Detroit has seen in a long time, but they have no true chance in a playoff series, should they survive the play-in.
  • Chicago Bulls: The Bulls are among the most uninspiring teams in the NBA.
  • Indiana Pacers: The Pacers will not have another fluke run in this playoffs and could struggle to even make a series competitive.
  • LA Clippers: They have been a fun regular season story, staying afloat without Kawhi Leonard, but the Clippers window is sealed shut.
  • Los Angeles Lakers: They have the best player to ever lace them up, but a poor supporting cast and inexperienced bench boss make the purple and gold a tough sell.
  • Sacramento Kings: The coaching change is paying off for the Kings, with Fox and Sabonis playing good basketball, but even at this groups apex the best they could do was a first round exit in an extremely competitive series. This team is a step back from that one.
  • Phoenix Suns: They have no reason for belief, perhaps they make a move for Jimmy Butler and it works out, but as currently constructed the Suns are simply a bad basketball team despite the star power and name value.
  • Miami Heat: The Heat culture is a clunky mess right now and it will be tough to recover from in half a year after the Bulter saga ends. Sure, they have arguably the best coach in the NBA, but what else? No top-end guy and a center who has fallen off dramatically. Back to the drawing board in South Beach.
  • San Antonio Spurs: If they can make the no. 8 seed and take on the OKC Thunder, the NBA would be overjoyed. The Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren battle would be fun to watch, the Spurs could pull off a win and push the series to five! But that is about it. A five game series that the scorebaord reflects a closer series than the games played does.

This group of teams are full of squads that have spent more time scouting Cooper Flagg than other NBA teams this season.

  • Brooklyn Nets
  • Toronto Raptors
  • Washington Wizards
  • Portland Trail Blazers
  • Utah Jazz
  • Charlotte Hornets
  • New Orleans Pelicans

Stiles Points

  • Ajay Mitchell had to undergo surgery which will sideline him for at least 10-to-12 weeks.
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sits atop the NBA MVP ladder for this week, leading the Most Valuable Player race.
  • The OKC Thunder signed center Branden Carlson to a ten-day pact just three days after waiving him. He played three minutes and knocked down a triple at the end of the game against New York.
  • The OKC Thunder offense has struggled against zone defenses.

Song of the Day: Hello Trouble by Buck Owens

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Stiles Points: OKC Thunder Separate Themselves From Knicks, NBA Tiers Defined (2025)
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