Along the way, they got an All-Star campaign from Tyler Herro and are getting the All-Star version of Bam Adebayo in more recent games. The big man is averaging 21.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.4 threes, while shooting 43.5 percent from deep, over his last 35 games.

Last week: No. 1 in rankings. The Thunder enter the playoffs with the NBA MVP favorite, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and have been resting key guys. They only lost two games in a row twice and never suffered three consecutive defeats. OKC should make it to the finals.

The 2024-25 regular season is officially over. Like most years, Sunday's finale had a March Madness feel. Several high-stakes games were played at the same time. 10 teams were sent home for the year and only 20 remain as this week will see the play-in tournament play out to complete the full NBA playoff picture.