NBA: 1 Thing fan bases of all 30 teams should be rooting for to close season

Oklahoma City Thunder

1 thing to root for: Earn the No. 1 seed in the West standings

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been one of the biggest surprise teams in the Western Conference this season. They've managed to defy the odds and have skipped a couple of steps in the development when it comes to regular-season success. Whether or not that success will end up translating into the NBA playoffs remains to be seen. However, because of how good they've been this season, this is a team that many expect to make quite a bit of noise once the postseason arrives.

Heading into the last few games of the regular season, the Thunder should be rooting to finish as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference standings. The No. 1 seed in the West will not only give the Thunder a better shot to make a deep run by securing homecourt advantage, but it also automatically helps them avoid the Denver Nuggets in a potential second-round series.

If the Thunder is going to complete this historic season with a miracle playoff run, they're going to have to avoid the Nuggets as long as they can. Earning the No. 1 seed would help them accomplish that.