There is something I, and many others, find to be so intensely unlikable about the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Perhaps it boils down to my Indiana Pacers fandom. Part of me is still bitter about how the NBA Finals ended last year. The Game 7 injury to Tyrese Haliburton ended what could have been the Pacers’ first Finals win in franchise history.
Even without this bias, I think I would still dislike the Thunder. I should love them—they’re a young, fun team built through strong front office management.
They didn’t achieve this success through splashy free agent signings or blockbuster trades for superstars. Instead, general manager Sam Presti has shrewdly off-loaded stars at the right time for massive returns. They’ve drafted smartly and effectively as they were able to capitalize on the picks they acquired through transactions and poor play.
Head coach Mark Daigneault employs an aggressive style of defense that should be captivating. He unleashes his players like swarms of bees that overwhelm ball handlers and crowd passing lanes.
They have one of the best players in the world in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who can seemingly score at will. They have a cast of supporting characters who should be equally exciting and interesting, like Jalen Williams, Chet Holgrem, and Alex Caruso to name a few.
But I can’t stand watching them.
The most obvious reason why is how the Thunder are officiated. Gilgeous-Alexander gets to the free throw line with ease. He attempted more free throws than any other player during the regular season. The issue isn’t so much about the fact that he gets to the line so often—he averages nearly 19 drives per game after all—it’s how he does it.
Gilgeous-Alexander fishes for fouls. He has mastered the art of foul-baiting. Sometimes his reactions are warranted. Other times they are not. Occasionally, Gilgeous-Alexander will act as if he was clubbed in the face with a T-Rex femur only to spring up and swish two free throws. But mostly, Gilgeous-Alexander will absorb minimal contact and will act like he suffered the maximum damage.
Sometimes, getting a good whistle is all about conditioning. As the player, if you do a certain action enough, then the referee will eventually recognize it as the norm. That’s how Gilgeous-Alexander is able to get such a reliable whistle.
What’s most frustrating about this though is that he doesn’t need the help of the officials. Gilgeous-Alexander could sleepwalk through a game and still drop 30 points. He is more than capable of scoring without fail-baiting but chooses to use these tactics, nonetheless.
What’s worse though is that this sort of tight officiating doesn’t extend to the Thunder when they are the ones playing defense. That swarming defense works so well because of how physical it is. Caruso, Luguentz Dort, and Cason Wallace all play defense with such ferocity on the perimeter. They truly harass ball handlers, and they often do so by fouling.
The same contact that will send Gilgeous-Alexander to the charity stripe is often ignored when Oklahoma City is the aggressor. They have conditioned the officials on both sides of the court. This behavior has been normalized to the Thunder’s advantage.
This blatant unfairness makes it difficult to watch Oklahoma City. Simply put, it’s just annoying basketball.
But what really makes the Thunder so unlikable is that they are the best team in the league. There are plenty of good, even great teams, that are still likeable. However, what separates the Thunder is just how good they are.
The New England Patriots, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Golden State Warriors all had their detractors during their peaks for any number of reasons, but ultimately, it comes down to how dominant they were. Fans have a hard time cheering on sustained excellence in this manner.
It gets boring when every game is a forgone conclusion. They often won games without breaking a sweat. And if the games were closer, you often had no doubt that they would find a way to squeak out a win. The Thunder are the same way.
When teams are this good, it reduces parity. Fewer teams have a chance of winning a championship, or even games for that matter.
There’s also the exposure issue. Teams that win games often garner more media attention and thus appear in the news more often. When teams, or anything for that matter, are over-exposed, there is typically a certain amount of pushback that comes with them being the center of the conversation.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with disliking the Thunder. It’s a natural reaction to discrepancies in officiating and their absurd level of success.
If anything, it’s a compliment to their players and front office that a small-market team from the middle of America was able to acquire this much bad blood.
