Zach Lowe reveals NBA reaction to Thunder’s ruthless start

The Thunder cruised past the Suns, a team that had looked solid to start the season.

It wasn’t just a win – it was a statement. The 49-point margin set a new low for the Suns in terms of franchise losses, while Oklahoma City notched its 16th straight victory, another franchise record.

After the game, ESPN’s Zach Lowe mentioned he received two texts from league insiders with very different perspectives on Oklahoma City’s rise. He spoke about them on his “The Lowe Post” podcast (h/t The Lowe Post):

“I’m going to read you a couple of texts I received last night.”

“This one is from an NBA coach: ‘You have probably addressed this before, but it’s just an observation: OKC is a super-efficient, robotic team—factory-like efficiency, not much flair or fun. ”

“This includes even Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander], their best player by far. But there are a lot of other guys in the league I would rather watch from a fun point of view. This is so unfair to say because they are a great team.’”

Then I had another front office person text me: “I know I’ve consistently said to you that championship windows are never as long as you think, but I’m honestly not sure what could close the Thunder’s window aside from a catastrophic injury. This is unbelievable.”

Is anyone actually capable of stopping the Thunder?

The Thunder have looked untouchable all season, and even with Giannis Antetokounmpo’s situation in flux, it may not make a difference.

Their only loss came against the Portland Trail Blazers in a game where they seemed to switch off late on. Outside of that, they’ve been flawless and don’t seem beatable.

A fully fit San Antonio Spurs side might be able to give them trouble. The Denver Nuggets, led by Nikola Jokic, who took the Thunder to seven games in last year’s playoffs are another team worth mentioning.

Over in the East, maybe the New York Knicks could make things interesting against OKC.

There aren’t many sides with the tools to slow down the Thunder this season. And at this rate, OKC might just keep rolling through their schedule without much resistance.