I'd always prefer ball and player movement without a superstar as your closer. But that's just my opinion.
Steven Adams (calf) is out tonight against Dallas. Dakari Johnson will make his second straight start in Adams' place. Carmelo Anthony is out tonight against the Mavericks with a sore back.
No, I mean that the Mavs are going to play hard despite their record. Thunder don't play well against teams that play hard. Thunder might not be ready for Mavs intensity.
If OKC find a way to win this game, I can already see the headlines: Westbrook and OKC overcome a good Dallas team without Melo and Adams.
Speaking of OKC, even though the Rockets spanked the Pacers, it's clear Oladipo and Sabonis are legit players. The roster and the head coach are worthless. This blows away the notion WB had no help last year. He is hard to play with.
This is how media will spin it to favor Westbrook and OKC. They will act like beating a bottom-feeding team is a feat without Melo and Adams. I'm aware how ridiculous it sounds.
Used to say this to all my OKC buddies everytime they'd parrot the "BUT HE HAS NO HELP!!" line. Oladipo is a fine player. Its hard to get in a groove when your job is to help some dude get a meaningless stat.