Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green highlights an unexpected playoff disadvantage for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Even in the tightly fought Western Conference of the 2024-25 NBA season, the Oklahoma City Thunder have separated themselves from the rest of the pack.
After all, they are the only team in the West with 60+ wins as they sit at the top of the standings and clinched the No. 1 seed well before the conclusion of the season.
Usually, earning the No. 1 seed is considered a remarkable feat as it means they will likely get to face lower seeds in the postseason. But Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green believes this is a disadvantage for the Thunder.
Green’s Warriors are one of four teams fighting for position in the standings ahead of the final game day of the season.
Despite being in that situation, Green thinks it’s the OKC Thunder who are at a disadvantage amid this battle of the giants.
“I always felt like 1 and 2 you kind of at a disadvantage, because if you’re the one seed, you’re literally at the biggest disadvantage. You don’t know who you play until two days before you play them,” Green stated.
He added: “Think about how much you know a team after game four, that’s after seven days of studying this team, if you’re seed 3 through 6, you’re essentially at game four at game one, from a scouting standpoint.”
It’s certainly a unique way to look at the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the conference. But Green wasn’t done.
Even the 2025 Play-In tournament in the Western Conference will feature just two teams below the 40-win mark as of now.
Keeping that in mind, this is the reason why the Thunder could meet a dominant team in the first round of the playoffs rather than a lackluster franchise.
“In the West, that eighth seed this year could be real. It could be a team that’s going to give OKC some trouble, it’s a really good team, OKC is really good but I’m just saying, it won’t be a typical 1-8.
“This was a wash, this will be a tough series. I think that could get interesting.”
Combining Green’s analysis with the fact that OKC has an inexperienced roster could lead to fans witnessing an early upset in the 2025 playoffs.
