From the get-go, the Oklahoma City Thunder have asserted their dominance over the Western Conference, and really the NBA as a whole. They’ve been one of a few s

“The Los Angeles Lakers are already terrifying the NBA as the No. 2 seed in the West, with LeBron James and Luka Doncic forming a duo that’s torching defenses nightly,” Fadeaway World’s Eddie Bitar wrote Saturday.

After Los Angeles acquired Luka Doncic, some observers thought the Lakers would be a threat to Oklahoma City in the Western Conference.

Last year, Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks sent the Thunder home in the second round of the playoffs, although the Mavericks used a well-rounded defensive approach to slow down the Thunder, which is something the Lakers might not have, especially after getting rid of Anthony Davis .

The Los Angeles Lakers have a clear path to defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in a potential playoff series by leveraging their defensive improvements

After we spent all season feeling confident in a three-horse NBA title race between the Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, the two iconic franchises out west have entered the conversation.