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The rivalry between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks is a burgeoning one. Although they have struggled for most parts of this season, Dallas has been greatly competitive in the games against the Thunder, taking the first couple of games to overtime before finally caving in to the defensive intensity of the Thunder. The most recent match up between them saw the Thunder blow the Mavericks away. Looking at the growth of the Thunder, one cannot help but observe the decline of the Mavericks. Understanding the development of this rivalry is intriguing.
The states of Oklahoma and Texas have always had a rich sporting heritage, with the Red River rivalry between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns part of college football folklore. Now, the rivalry exists in the game of football, between two adjoining states and their principal universities. So how does the city of Dallas figure into the equation. Dallas is a neutral venue where the Red River matches have been played for about a 1oo years now, as the city is halfway between the cities of Austin, Texas and Norman, Oklahoma. So, there was a lot in place for a rivalry in basketball to develop. Well, almost. Oklahoma City did not have an NBA team till 2008, not counting the New Orleans Hornets’ time spent there in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Following the sale of the Seattle SuperSonics to an Oklahoma City based investor consortium, they officially moved to the city of Oklahoma.
The people of Oklahoma had a decision to make. Do they continue supporting the team they had supported for so many years, i.e. the Dallas Mavericks, or do they shift loyalties to their own home town club. Turns out it was a no-brainer. And so now we know how the Chesapeake Arena is the most boisterous on most nights in the NBA. And rightly so, as they are audience to some of the most exciting, young swashbuckling talent in the league.
The battles on the court have added that bit more spice to the geographical and historical significance of the rivalry. Rewind to the playoffs 2010-11 season, when the two teams met in the Western conference Finals. In their second ever appearance in the playoffs, the Thunder, led by Kevin Durant and supported by a talented roster of Kendrick Perkins, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka among others, made it to the Conference Finals, where they faced the experienced, battle hardened roster of the Dallas Mavericks, led by Dirk Nowitzki with a supporting cast that included Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, Tyson Chandler and Shawn Marion.
The series was went back and forth with Dallas coming through in 5 games. Two highly competitive teams, one being the youngest, the other being the most experienced gutted it out for the right to go through to the NBA Finals. Dallas had a very well put together roster, with there being defensive specialists and sharp shooters in equal numbers to support the talents of Nowitzki, Terry and Kidd while Oklahoma were an athletic, talented roster full of youthful exuberance and the emerging two man combination of Durant and Westbrook. Dirk Nowitzki was playing at a level never seen before and he put the Mavericks on his back. They took the series 4-1, on the back of two decisive and completely different road victories. In Game 3, Dallas were the picture of defensive efficiency, throttling the Thunder offense, while in Game 4, they (read Dirk Nowitzki) put up an offensive masterclass in the last 10 minutes (5 minutes in the 4th quarter and then OT) as they came back from a 15 point deficit to take a 3-1 lead in the series.
Fast forward a year and the two teams met again in the Western Conference playoffs, this time in the first round. The Mavs had dismantled their championship winning roster and instead had a steady mix of savvy veterans on short term contracts as they looked to land it big in the 2012 free agency. Oklahoma on the other hand, were now one of the major contenders, with a roster full of established and emerging stars, who knew how to coexist and work towards a common goal. And the series showed the world why the Thunder were ready for the big time. For a change, they were the ones hitting last second game winners. And after a close and hard fought first couple of games that they won, OKC showcased their new found maturity, winning at Dallas comfortably in games 3 and 4, to rout the defending champs 4-0 in the first round. What a difference a year makes.
And then, we come to the current season. An off-season full of disappointments for Dallas, as they failed to land two of their most coveted targets in Dwight Howard and Deron Williams. That saw them signing a combination of crafty veterans again who were eager to prove themselves in a bid to sustain their push for an unlikely playoff berth. Oklahoma City on the other hand saw the first major trade of their fledgling history (Perkins for Green pales in comparison) as they moved Harden (along with a couple of extended roster players) to the Houston Rockets for Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb.
The move saw them lose an emerging All-Star, who could play both guard positions, defend the ball well and someone who also a great shooter. It could have probably been a trade that jeopardized their championship claims. Instead, what has happened is that they have become the best offense in the league and are one of the better defensive outfits. They even possess the best record in the NBA bar the Spurs. The Mavs are 6 games below .500 and are struggling to make a run for the playoff positions. Also, it doesn’t help that they have had to deal with the injury enforced absence of Nowitzki.
Clearly, both these franchises have been moving in the opposite directions since the 2011 playoff series, as Dallas is on a downward spiral while Oklahoma is shooting for the stars. The transitional period in between has been very brief, as has been seen of late, shows that the Thunder truly believe that they belong at the top, while the Mavericks are finding it tough to deal with their failure of a season so far, and will probably not make it to the playoffs for the first time in the last 12 years.
What follows is a list of videos indicating the direction of movement of the rivalry in the last couple of seasons.
From this:
And this:
To this:
And this:
Through all of this:
Guess the Lakers players!
