With each passing playoff victory, fan criticism of the reigning NBA-champion Oklahoma City Thunder continues to build.
Much of the criticism pointed in the Thunder’s direction comes regarding how the team is officiated. Whether it’s the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander free-throw narrative or OKC’s propensity for flopping, it appears many NBA fans are beginning to sour on the dominant franchise.
In a recent ESPN article explaining the Thunder’s rise as the NBA’s biggest villain, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr weighed in with his thoughts on the growing disdain for OKC.
“As a sports fan, if the same team dominates too much, you want to see an upset,” Kerr said. “And it happens pretty quickly. We were the darling in ’15 and ’16, but by the time the Finals came around, I think the average observer was pulling for LeBron [James] to pull off the comeback. I never took it personally. I’ve done the same thing. If a team in another sport starts to dominate, I root for the upset.”
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Kerr and the Warriors made five consecutive trips to the NBA Finals from 2014-19, winning three rings over that span. At the peak of their NBA villain role, the team had an overpowered roster featuring Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
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The Thunder have yet to suffer a loss in this year’s playoffs, sweeping the Phoenix Suns and winning their first three games against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Oklahoma City can close things out with one more victory over the Lakers in Game 4, which will tipoff at 10:30 p.m. ET on Monday.
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