The Thunder continued their trouncing of the lessers of the NBA leading up to the rematch with the Miami Heat. As we all Witnessed, the Thunder seemed to move up a notch in the NBA echelon. Unfortunately, they were grounded a bit with Sunday's loss to the Raptors and will be looking to get back on track soon. As we have noted, the final two weeks of the season could carry great effect for seeding. The Thunder would do well to build some insulation against late-season shocks.
From Around the NBA:
| SOURCE | RANKING (last) | COMMENT |
| SB Nation | 9 (9) | Ziller keeps the Nuggets ahead of the Thunder. I like the Nuggets, but I think they're still a playoff "show-me" team. I think they're overvalued at this point. |
| ESPN - Hollinger | 9 (9) | Margin of victory really starting to grow with the recent spate of wins. |
| ESPN - Stein | 7 (7) | Thunder didn't expect to lose to the Raptors. Which is probably a big reason why they lost. |
| NBA.com | 4 (6) | Highest ranking for the Thunder this year. A big reason why is the defensive improvement. |
| CBS Sports | n/a (8) | n/a |
| ProBasketballTalk | 6 (7) | Better defense = better chances in the playoffs. Although now, offense looks a bit off. |
| Hoopsworld | 5 (6) | Will be hard for Thunder to move any higher without another elite team falling apart. |
| Behind the Basket | 6 (10) | Don't forget that Durant had bum shoulder in Raptors loss. |
| FoxSports | 6 (7) | There is now a legitimate 7th contending team. |
| SportsIllustrated | 5 (6) | Robson offers some accolades toward the Thunder in his ranking write-up, and also offers this - Durant needs to shoot more from inside 16 feet. |
| Covers | 7 (7) | Raptors loss shocking. |
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