“Forgotten Legends: The Epic Teams That Dominated But Never Tasted NBA Glory”
If that holds up, the Thunder would be the first team to rank first in winning percentage and in the top two defensively since the 2011-12 Chicago Bulls. Only five teams have finished that way over the past 35 years.
Given all of the above, our projection model gives OKC a whopping 47.6% chance of winning it all. It’s an impressive number, but it also means there’s a better chance (52.4%) they won’t claim the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Our historical TRACR model, which goes back to the 1986-87 season, normalizes performance from league environmental factors that can either inflate or deflate numbers (think the run-and-gun 1980s compared to the stifling defense of the ’90s) by considering advanced metrics and other factors on both sides of the ball to calculate how many points per 100 possessions better or worse teams are compared to the league-average club during the season.
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