The Thunder were good last year, too, though. Oklahoma City finished with 57 wins, tied with Denver for the most in the Western Conference. The Thunder were the West’s No. 1 seed only to get bumped out in the first round by Luka Doncic and the Mavs.

For NBA legend and basketball Hall of Famer Paul Pierce, that's a reason to raise alarm bells, especially if the Thunder get a tough-minded first-round opponent like Minnesota in the playoffs.