Q&A with 'The Athletic' Writer and OSU Grad Anthony Slater

Thunder Reporter Steve McGehee at Paycom Center joined by Oklahoma State Alum and 'The Athletic' Sports Writer Anthony Slater to get his take on the series and what's in store for the upcoming NBA Finals series.

Q: Do you think this is a better team than what you covered ten years ago?

A: Team is the key word. I'm not sure it's more talented, right? You have a third overall pick in James Harden, a fourth in Russel Westbrook, a second in Kevin Durant. That was just a conglomerate of future MVPs, Hall of Famers. I think Sam Presti had a little more time, patience, and strategic nature on how he built this team. I just think they fit together. They accept their roles a little bit more than the past team did, and they have fewer weak links. There's no weak links on this Thunder team.

Q: Better bench for sure?

"I mean, best bench in the league. Although they're about to see one of the best benches in the Eastern Conference, at least tonight. But yeah, defensively, you think about what the Pacers just did to the Knicks. It was kind of going at Jalen Brunson, going at Karl-Anthony Towns on the other end. You can't go at Shai, you can't go at Jalem Williams. There's just no targeted attack for Rick Carlisle to go at.

Q: A couple of years ago, Steve Kerr said, "It's coming," referring to the Oklahoma City Thunder. It only took two years, did it kind of surprise you it got back so fast?

A: I remember the year they made the players. Chet Holmgren was almost cleared for the play-in numbers. I remember talking to the Thunder people and they we're like hey, when you add him next year, there's going to be a leap. I remember going into that season thinking, oh, a leap, like they'll make the playoffs maybe fifth seed, sixth seed. They were the one seed last year. I think people sometimes forget about that. And then I knew they were on the rise, but 68 wins, some of the historic stats. I didn't expect this. I don't think anybody did.

Q: What has to go right for the Thunder to win this series?

A: I'm throwing Thunder at five.

Q: Why?

A: I just think that Indiana's like a B-minus version of the Thunder. They're deep, but not as talented kind of at every position. And they play in the East. So I think Halliburton's going to struggle to create the type of separation needed in the East, because it's going against Caruso, Dort, Wallace. I saw them, these two teams play against each other in March. I was here. I think Thunder won by 30, and they didn't even have their centers. I think the Western Conference is the major leagues, and the Eastern Conference is a little bit of the minor leagues. Maybe that'll come back to bite me, but I'm going Thunder in five.

MORE THUNDER:

>>> OKC Thunder NBA Finals Hub