By James Mario Ajero
The first true test of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s aspirations for a championship will be at the hands of the Denver Nuggets starting Monday in the second round of the National Basketball Association.
This Northwest division match-up is truly in titanic proportions as both teams will be led by the frontrunners in the 2025 regular season MVP award: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic.
Denver Nuggets
Jokic, Serbia’s basketball pride, has undoubtedly cemented himself as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
This 6-foot-10 baller is only the ninth player in the league’s history to achieve the remarkable feat of winning three regular season MVPs, scooping the award in 2021, 2022, and 2024.
For decades, the center position has been the most glamorous role in the sport with big men like Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russel, Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Patrick Ewing being consistently claimed as the best ever to play basketball.
Meanwhile, “The Joker” revolutionized the role by being a pass-first player, a playstyle atypical of a center who usually bullies his way to the net instead of making plays.
The fourth-seed Nuggets, on the other hand, are successful not only because of Jokic but also because of its competitive list of role players who always find a way to shine in the playoffs.
Leading the pack is Jamal Murray, who transforms into a better scorer once the regular season ends.
In the regular season, Murray averaged 21.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 6.0 assists.
In the Clippers first-round series, he slightly turned up the heat by collecting 22.5 points, 6.3 assists, and 4.2 rebounds a game.
Russel Westbrook brings the veteran player mindset for the Nuggets, serving as the team’s hustle player who interrupts the other squad’s rhythm by doing all sorts of things like pesky defense, determined rebounding, and sometimes, on-court antics.
Players like Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr have also proven themselves to be reliable assets.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: WWE news: John Cena-Randy Orton championship match set for ‘Backlash’
OKC Thunder
On the other corner, first-seed OKC is a no-pushover team too, being spearheaded by star guard Gilgeous-Alexander.
A three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA First Team member, the 26-year-old baller has worked wonders for the Thunder franchise, helping it achieve an NBA-best 68-14.
OKC also hit a 63-13 (.829) win-loss rating whenever Shai plays, substantially better than the 50-32 record of the Nuggets and 46-24 (.657) whenever Jokic is in the lineup.
Shai made this historic season for the Thunders possible by dropping 32.7 points per game to go with his 6.4 assists and 5.0 rebounds.
In the first-round sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies, Shai averaged 27.8 points, 6.0 assists, 5.0 boards, 1.8 threes, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks to send Ja Morant and co. home.
History also favors OKC when taking into account the Nuggets’ grueling seven-game clashes with the Clippers.
According to a report from Yahoo News, a team coming off from a sweep has always beaten an opponent that had just played a seven-game series since 2000 with the record standing at 14-1.
According to FanDuel, Oklahoma City is the heavy favorite to win the series, hitting -850 in the betting odds against Denver (+570).
Though Jokic is surely a top 5 active player, a dangerous frontcourt combination of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein could be enough to physically stall the Serbian player.
READ NEXT: NBA Playoffs: Golden State Warriors take 3-1 lead over Houston Rockets
Liam McLaughlan 
Simon Wilkes