May 13, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Savannah James, LeBron James and Rich Paul sit in the front in the fourth quarter of game four of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY SportsThe Oklahoma City Thunder have been the clear-cut best team in the NBA for the last two seasons. Last year, they went a historic 68-14 in the regular season and eventually brought home the Larry O'Brien trophy. This year, they look ready to go back-to-back with an unreal 21-1 start that's amplified the 70-win whispers even louder.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEverybody who follows the NBA knows what makes OKC so dominant. They play a league-best defense that forces turnovers in bunches. On the other side, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the NBA's best scorer. He sleepwalks his way to an efficient 30 points. The reigning MVP helps bury the opponent on the scoreboard.
But according to one famous NBA figure, there's an intangible benefit to OKC's historic success — homecourt advantage. Since the start of the 2024-25 regular season, they're an NBA-best 46-6 at home. In their playoff run, they only lost twice off of unreal game-winners by Aaron Gordon and Tyrese Haliburton.
Rich Paul believes the Thunder are nearly unstoppable at Paycom Center — but for a different reason most haven't really thought of before. He believes OKC being a 'sleepy' small-market city helps lull the opponent to a lethargic state before a game even tips off.
Max Kellerman recently recounted what the NBA mega-agent told him on a 'The Ringer' podcast with Bill Simmons
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“His point was, 'But yeah, but they play in OKC, you gotta take some points off,'" Kellerman said. "There is no energy when you get there. The teams they are gonna face are not energized. They are already thinking that, 'In a couple of nights, we are gonna be in LA and there is no juice.”
Eh, I don't know about that. Considering Paul runs the Klutch Sports agency with his biggest client being LeBron James, he knows more about the inner workings of the NBA than the average fan. But to say opposing teams don't get up for their matchups against OKC just doesn't feel right.
Especially since they're the reigning NBA champion. You always circle those matchups on your calendar. It's a great way to measure up your team on how you match up against the league's best.
You can say OKC is a pretty boring city — especially for NBA player standards. Nothing wrong with that. Sure. Whatever. But to hint that has played a role in the on-court product like this is the Denver Nuggets' high elevation is a little ridiculous.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Why Rich Paul believes 'sleepy' OKC gives Thunder homecourt advantage
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