Not Enough: Thunder Season Ends Despite Win Over Minnesota

1,827 miles of the Mississippi River separated the two teams vying for the eighth seed in the Western Conference Wednesday night. In Minneapolis, 493 miles from the headwaters of the river, Oklahoma City took care of business with a 138-113 win over the Timberwolves.

But at the end of the river, just a little ways north of where North America's longest river empties into the Gulf of Mexico, the Thunder couldn't get the help it needed to make the playoffs for a sixth straight season, as the New Orleans Pelicans held off a late charge from San Antonio to put the Pelicans in the playoffs.

In the end, it didn't matter how well the Thunder played against a terrible and short-handed Minnesota team. The franchise and individual marks that were set or tied were all for naught. Sure, they still matter and count—especially Russell Westbrook clinching the NBA scoring title—but they didn't make a difference when it came to Oklahoma City's playoff standing.

Oklahoma City did its part. The Thunder scored 47 points in the first quarter to turn the game into a rout almost before it began. Meanwhile downriver, the Pelicans blitzed the Spurs in the first half, leading by as many as 23 after a 21-1 run spanning the end of the first and beginning of the second quarter. Predictably, the Spurs battled back, cutting the lead to four points with 7:37 remaining, but New Orleans was able to hold on down the stretch.

The Thunder's absence in the playoffs is not the result of one singular moment. Sure, one moment could have reversed the roles of OKC and New Orleans. Anthony Davis' buzzer-beater to beat the Thunder on Feb. 6 is the biggest moment without a doubt. Or San Antonio could have completed its comeback Wednesday night. Or the Thunder could have held onto late leads against New Orleans or Portland or Chicago or not dropped games to the Knicks or Detroit.

But the deck has been stacked against the Thunder since the beginning of the season. A 3-12 start was extremely difficult to overcome, and not reaching the .500 mark for good until February eliminated any room for error. Simply put, the Thunder wasn't good enough to overcome a bad start, terrible defense and over 200 combined games missed due to injuries.

And you know what? That's ok. Making the playoffs would mean four, maybe five more games against a buzzsaw in Golden State. It would have been brutal to watch and honestly wouldn't have given the Thunder's younger players a lot of good playoff experience. Giving Sam Presti a lottery pick and giving this roster plenty of rest is a much better situation for the franchise going forward.

Because Oklahoma City is going to need everything it has for next season. It might be an understatement to say it's the most important season in franchise history—if that's possible. The talk of Kevin Durant's pending free agency will be the biggest storyline, but a full and healthy Thunder roster will be considered by many to be a title favorite. And fulfilling those expectations will absolutely have a big impact on Durant's decision next summer.

Yes, the Thunder's season ended about two months earlier than some expected and most hoped. But nothing went as expected or hoped, either. A healthy Durant and (maybe even, or) Ibaka would have changed the end result drastically. An 8-7 start instead of a 3-12 start could have been the difference. But at the end of Wednesday, those were all just what-if scenarios; grains of optimism to hold on to after a season that made sure Murphy's Law will never be questioned again.

The Thunder will be watching the playoffs instead of participating for the first time since 2009. It's certainly not the Spurs' fault for not coming through against New Orleans. It's entirely on the Thunder, even though there were so many things outside Oklahoma City's control. But OKC still had to win the games and simply put, the Thunder didn't win enough.

Next year beckons. An important year; the most important year. Perhaps even a title year. But for now, all the Thunder can do is rest, watch and wait.