LeBron James Gives Massive Respect to Thunder Amid 90s Bulls – 2010s Warriors Comparison

The Los Angeles Lakers are trailing 3-0 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Confernce Semifinals.

LeBron James Gives Massive Respect to Thunder Amid 90s Bulls – 2010s Warriors Comparison

LeBron James will lead Lakers on his own (Image via FirstSportz)

In Short
  • LeBron James praised the Oklahoma City Thunder, comparing them to the 90s Bulls and 2017/18 Warriors.
  • The Thunder are undefeated in the playoffs, leading the Lakers 3-0 in the Western Conference Semifinals.
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander emphasized the team's strong chemistry despite his own scoring struggles in the series.

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have no answers for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season. After losing all four of their games against the Thunder in the regular season, the Lakers find themselves 3-0 down in the Western Conference Semifinals.

The Lakers have been a lot more competitive than the scoreline in the three games suggests. On Saturday night, the Lakers went into halftime with a two-point lead. However, all their work was undone in the second half as they suffered a 131-108 defeat in Game 3 at the Crypto.com Arena.

Following the loss, James was asked if this Thunder team could be compared to the 90s Bulls and the 17/18 Warriors teams.

They’re pretty damn good from top to bottom. They don’t let their foot off the gas.

LeBron James in his post-match media scrum

Heading into the series, Lakers head coach JJ Redick labeled the Thunder as one of the greatest teams in NBA history. The Thunder won their first-ever NBA championship last year. They showed no signs of slowing down this season as they finished at the top of the Western Conference standings with a 64-18 record.

Led by reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder have been invincible as they haven’t lost a single game so far in the playoffs this year. They clean-swept the Phoenix Suns in the first round and have a 3-0 lead over the Lakers.

No one knows how it feels to face a historically great team like LeBron James. The four-time champion faced off against the Golden State Warriors in four consecutive NBA Finals from 2015 to 2018.

The Warriors made it to five NBA Finals and won three championships from 2015 to 2019. Meanwhile, the 90s Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan, won six championships. The Thunder have often been compared to the two sides because they have a young, deep squad and the potential to build a dynasty.

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What makes the Thunder practically invincible?

The Thunder are the best defensive team in the league. While they have overpowered the Lakers in this series, there has been a lot of noise surrounding the officials about favoring the Thunder. However, that takes nothing away from their greatness. And offensively, they have arguably the best scorer in the league in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, leading the way.

Thunder teammates swarm Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after game-winner
Thunder teammates swarm Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Image via SLAM Kicks/X)

Former NBA champion Kenny Smith broke down the Thunder’s game after their Game 3 win over the Lakers.

When I’m looking at them play, I’m like, ‘Okay, what would you do? And, what would be the game plan going in to guard them and to stop them from being so potent offensively?’ Defensively, they could shut your water off at times. Maybe not the whole game, but they could throw possessions. Now, how do we shut their water off? And I’m not really sure.

Kenny Smith on Inside the NBA

The Thunder have gone seven out of seven in the postseason so far. They will have a chance to clean sweep the Lakers in Game 4 on Monday night at the Crypto.com Arena.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the Thunder’s chemistry

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has not been at his scoring best in the Western Conference Semifinals series against the Lakers. In the three games played, he is averaging just 21 points per game. However, despite his struggles in terms of scoring and playing without their second-best player, Jalen Williams, the Thunder have still managed to overpower and outclass the Lakers.

After the win, SGA spoke about the team’s chemistry and how they get along as a group.

We organically get along as a group so that always helps. We really have fun just being together and hanging out together. It’s like when you go play pickup with your friends you have that feeling out there and you know what their tendencies are.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in his post-match press conference

The Thunder will be looking to be the first team to make it to the NBA Finals without dropping a game since the Warriors in the 2016-17 season. That Warriors team dropped just one game in the finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by LeBron James.

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