In today's NBA a superteam is almost necessary to have any chance to win the NBA Finals. If you need proof look no further than the fact that the past four finals matchups have been between the same two superteams. There were a lot of teams with good players the past four years especially this year, seeing as how both conference finals went to game 7. However the result has always been the same because the Warriors have a superteam and the Cavs have had at least an average team with the best player in the world and top 3 all time in Lebron James. As a result, the rest of the NBA has been scrambling every free agency period trying to sign the player to get them closer to their final goal of the finals, and during the season trading players to get picks and pieces to complete their team for a finals push. Rarely does a team get two proven superstars in one summer while retaining an MVP candidate, so when the OKC Thunder got Carmelo Anthony and Paul George while keeping Russell Westbrook in the summer of 2017 they were immediately thrust into being contenders for the championship.

This wasn't that much of a stretch seeing as how during the 2016-17 season Russell Westbrook did the impossible and averaged a triple double for the entire season, and had the most triple doubles in a single season ever. This was done even though he lost one of the best players in the NBA,Kevin Durant, during the summer of 2016 to the team that beat them in the Western Conference Finals. How impressive is averaging a triple double?  Well seeing as how the last and only other person to do this was Oscar Robertson, and he led the NBA in scoring, it's pretty impressive. Despite all of this, the Thunder took an early exit to playoffs because Russell couldn’t drag the team any further. He needed help. So when the Thunder traded Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis for Paul George a five time all star, the narrative became that the Thunder got the help they needed and were set to possibly take down the Warriors and Contend for the Finals. Then Sam Presti Traded for Carmelo Anthony, a first Ballot hall of fame player on the beginning of the back end of his career. No one could believe it; the thunder just became a superteam with two players in their prime. It became the Finals or bust for the Thunder. They had the parts, and after Westbrook’s performance in the 16-17 season this wasn’t an unfair way to view the Thunder’s 17-18 season. To the entire league’s disappointment, the Thunder had an awful season compared to the expectations. They won one more game than the previous season and still lost in the first round to a rookie who seemed unguardable at times during the series. Everytime it seemed like they had it figured out and went on a big win streak, they lost to a subpar team which quite often led to a 2 or 3 game losing streak. The main reason they were still considered contender is because they beat the Warriors twice, and had a great record against the rest of the top teams in the Western Conference. This season was by any and all means a failure.

They were supposed to be the new kids on the block primed to stop the juggernaut that is the Golden State Warriors. Instead, due to their inconsistency they were rolled over in the first round of the Western Conference, letting down the Association. The cause of their  inconsistency might be Russell Westbrook “ Stat Chasing”, Paul George's shooting slumps, Melo’s lack of defense, or maybe it's just the inability to stay healthy. With the possibility of not retaining any of the three stars from 2017-18, they not only let down the NBA this season but perhaps for season’s to come because it is unlikely a superteam with this potential is formed again in the near future.