Blame the Clippers for creating this Thunder monster - BERITAJA

OKLAHOMA CITY — Don’t blasted the refs, blasted the Clippers.

They created this monster. They sent it retired into the world.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, top-seeded successful the NBA playoffs for the 3rd consecutive season, are moving roughshod complete opponents. Kicking everybody’s butts and driving everyone up the wall.

And, oh, Clippers what did you do?

This Oklahoma City juggernaut, built to past successful an era that would different beryllium remembered for its parity?

It was spawned connected July 6, 2019, erstwhile the Clippers traded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and a boatload of draught picks to the Thunder successful speech for Paul George, who they paired pinch free supplier Kawhi Leonard, mortgaging their early connected the grounded stake that 2 Southern Californians would lead the franchise to its first NBA title.

And by a boatload, I mean a battleship-sized vessel — sent to descend the remainder of the NBA.

The defending NBA champions who were built mostly done that waste and acquisition — successful which the Clippers relinquished their first-round prime successful 2022, 2024, 2026 positive prime switch authorities successful 2023 and 2025 — person the Lakers successful the blender astatine present.

The Thunder’s 125-107 victory Thursday astatine Paycom Center gave them a 2-0 successful the best-of-seven second-round series.

Undefeated truthful acold this postseason, Oklahoma City soon will dispatch the shorthanded Lakers and past spell marching connected toward a defense of past year’s NBA championship.

In 2025, they became the second-youngest squad successful convention history to triumph it, capping their franchise-record 68-win season. This year, Gilgeous-Alexander apt will repetition arsenic MVP aft starring the Thunder to a 64-18 regular-season record.

SGA, the stylish, maddening, smooth-operating Canadian constituent guard, is the caput of the boa constrictor. And the young, selfless squad about him is putting the compression connected opponents pinch ridiculous depth, overmuch of it stockpiled via that trade.

That includes the 2022 first-round pick, which became Oklahoma City’s second-best player, Jalen Williams (who is injured and hasn’t moreover played successful this series). Also, 2023 first-round prime Cason Wallace, an elite defender and businesslike violative contributor, delivered the dagger Thursday pinch 8 fourth-quarter points.

Thunder defender Cason Wallace, right, defends Lakers guardant LeBron James, left, during the 2nd half of Game 2.

(Nate Billings / Associated Press)

George is now playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, having near the Clippers successful free agency successful 2024. But they’re still paying the Thunder for his services, which sewage them only arsenic acold arsenic the Western Conference finals successful 2021.

The Thunder decidedly don’t request reinforcements, but because the Clippers grounded to make the playoffs this season, Oklahoma City will beryllium successful play successful the draught lottery Sunday — betwixt Games 3 and 4 — pinch a 1.5% chance of getting the No. 1 wide pick, and a 7.1% chance of moving into the apical four.

With that anticipation successful mind, the Thunder didn’t hesitate to waste and acquisition different of their 2026 first-round picks (and 3 early second-rounders) for sharpshooting defender Jared McCain, the Corona kid whose 13 second-half points Thursday were absolute backbreakers.

So while Lakers coach JJ Redick has talked about limiting the Thunder successful those minutes erstwhile Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t connected the court, guardant Rui Hachimurahas the correct assessment: “We’ve focused connected Shai a lot, but we gotta springiness these different guys much respect. They’re awesome players.”

There is, aft all, much than 1 constituent to a buzzsaw.

The Clippers should person imagined it could spell for illustration this.

They were locked successful connected Leonard, I remember. And the mega trade, arsenic the Clippers saw it, was to get Leonard and George.

Clippers proprietor Steve Ballmer — 1 of the richest group successful the world, weighted astatine $133 billion, according to Forbes — wanted what he wanted.

I’m nary financial expert, but if personification tries to waste you a portion of pastry for $28 cardinal — humbly, I deliberation you should pass.

Leonard wasn’t going to enactment successful Toronto, wherever he’d conscionable led the Raptors to a title. And he wouldn’t person wanted to play 2nd fiddle [or third] to LeBron James and Anthony Davis connected the Lakers. And he would person been overmuch amended disconnected arsenic a Clipper if his squad had draught picks to fortify it for the coming seasons and a burgeoning prima astatine constituent guard.

Who could’ve known SGA would go a perennial MVP candidate?

Well, SGA did.

“Mentally, I show myself each nighttime that I’m the champion subordinate connected the level and I want everybody successful the arena to cognize that and consciousness that,” he said connected the NBA’s “Pass the Rock” series, not agelong aft he was traded.

“I wanna beryllium known arsenic 1 of the champion players to play the game. Watching guys for illustration Kobe increasing up, I spell to schoolhouse and the statement is, who’s better, Kobe aliases LeBron? Who’s better, Kobe aliases Michael? I want those conversations to beryllium about myself.”

Imagine that, this driven characteristic successful a Clippers uniform, a less-reticent prima beside Leonard — and a Thunder squad that wasn’t built to perfectly terrorize the convention for years to come.