3. Oklahoma City Thunder
As the NBA regular season begins to wind down, one of the teams that many will keep a close eye on in the Western Conference is the Oklahoma City Thunder. Heading into the NBA playoffs, it's easy to see why the Thunder will enter as one of the most intriguing teams to watch. On paper, they may not have a roster that instills much fear, especially if you're a veteran-laden team, perhaps like the Los Angeles Lakers or Golden State Warriors. However, with the way the team has played for the majority of the season, it's easy to see why the Thunder are a very real threat to win the West.
The ultimate test is nearly here for the young Thunder. For such a young team, there's not a real precedent for a team making a jump from being a Play-In Tournament Team to being an NBA Finals contender without a significant addition during the offseason.
The Thunder didn't make such an acquisition and have simply fueled off of internal development. The question for the Thunder is whether or not they're ready to make the leap toward full-time contender status in the West. We should find out soon enough.