OKC Thunder's Return from All-Star Break Should Pose an Intriguing Five-Game Slate

The Oklahoma City Thunder's last win over the Orlando Magic brought one of the youngest teams in the NBA to 37 wins before the All-Star break. 

Now, with over a week's rest excluding technicalities Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace and Keyontae Johnson – all of whom participated in All-Star festivities – Oklahoma City looks to eclipse 40 wins before 20 losses throughout its next five matchups.

This was Hall of Fame head coach Phil Jackson's rule of thumb. 40-before-20, and you should be regarded as a possible championship contender.

"You must win 40 games before you lose 20 to be seen as an elite team," Jackson asserted circa 2008 in the thick of the late Kobe Bryant's prime. 

And looking at surface level, there's some validity to that. In each of Jackson's record-holding 11 championships as head coach spanning two decades with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, every one of his teams reached the 40-before-20 feat en route to hoisting the Larry O'Brien.

From 2011-2020, just eight out of 40 teams within this span deviated to make their conference finals without reaching 40 wins before 20 losses. None of those eight went onto claim the NBA championship.

Suffice to say, the philosophy is pretty telling. And I wouldn't go into contradiction with the man who boasts 13 total titles – the most championships of all time as a player and coach.

So in the Thunder's next five outings, the team will have to come out on the high side in at least three of those contests. Having the L.A. Clippers, Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets (twice) and San Antonio Spurs across eight days, this slate doesn't seem too daunting.

Paired with the fact that Oklahoma City has yet to lose three consecutive games this season, it's a strong chance Gilgeous-Alexander and co. will attain that goal following a rejuvenating hiatus. 

And though it's seemingly a light-hearted goal that head coach Mark Daigneault would likely dismiss and shake his head at, one can only think that the team as a whole would love to flaunt that fact – especially after last year's team overwhelmingly exceeded expectations with just 40 wins on the season.

It's been another season of overcoming doubt and blocking out the noise for the Daigneault-led Thunder, and they're knocking on the current NBA powerhouses' door. 

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