Jeff Teague, a member of the Atlanta Hawks at the time.
CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 2: Jeff Teague #0 of the Atlanta Hawks warms up prior to the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on May 2, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
In th2 2014-15 season, the Atlanta Hawks had four All-Stars. Al Horford, Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver all made the mid-season ceremonial event on account of the team’s blistering start to the year, a season in which they would win a franchise-record 60 games and earn the number one overall seed in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
Whereas players such as Teague and Korver would never otherwise have made an All-Star game – as evidenced by the fact that they did not make it ever again – the entire starting five sans DeMarre Carroll were given the All-Star nod as a testament to their quality season as a unit. Teague, though, believes that unit is still not getting enough respect.
In retirement, Teague has taken to hosting a successful podcast called Club 520. Even in a world wildly oversaturated with podcasts and opinions, Teague – a willing and good storyteller – is particularly candid and opinionated in his, particularly with regards to his own NBA career. And in the latest episode, Teague states his belief that the 2014-15 Atlanta Hawks could beat the 2024-25 Oklahoma City Thunder.
Do Not Underestimate The Thunder
The quality of the 2024-25 Oklahoma City Thunder should not be understated. They won 68 regular season games, were comfortably the first seed in the Western Conference a full 16 games clear of the Houston Rockets in second place, and they are now getting in valuable rest while waiting to learn who their NBA Finals opponent will be.
Aside from a tough test against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, the Thunder have been relatively untroubled all season. It is instead their dominant defensive unit, and the 30-point scoring of league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, that causes all the troubles. They can match up with all-comers, create constant havoc, and then have weapons at every position going the other way.
To be sure, the Hawks’ defence that season was no slouch either. Anchored by Horford – who continues to play quality defence all over the court even as he kicks 40’s door down – the Hawks finished sixth in the league in defensive rating, and had quality defensive role players such as Carroll, Kent Bazemore and Thabo Sefolosha to disrupt opponents on the wing. Teague himself was not a stand-out defender, and Korver’s valiant efforts did not overcome his limited physical tools for the job, yet the Horford/Millsap anchor on the interior made for consistent shot contests.
It is too big of a leap of logic, though, to claim that this would beat today’s Thunder. It might sound good, but it just cannot be right.
Teague Is Loyal But Not Correct
It is well-established that after top-level sportsmen retire, they almost invariably begin to think that their era was more difficult to play in than the one immediately after it. This, however, is a particularly fine example of the genre.
Teague’s claim that his Hawks would “pick-and-roll them to death” seem to overlook the fact that Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, Chet Holmgren and others are not ones that can be just rolled over in this way. It is precisely because of the Thunder’s depth of defensive personnel that they have been able to separate themselves from the pack in this way, yet Teague seems to not see the Thunder’s defence – among the best the NBA has ever seen – as being much of a problem with him as the primary ball-handler.
Then again, Teague also claims that his Hawks were the best defensive team that season, when they were in fact sixth.
It is true that Teague’s Hawks were last in the NBA in fouls, and Shai’s knack for drawing the whistle has been a contentious issue in these playoffs. There is a lot more to stopping him and the Thunder than just that, however. Let alone beating them “easily”.
At some point, it might be best for Teague to concede defeat in the hypothetical of his own making. In the comfortable confines of his own studio, surrounded by friends, with no restrictions on what he can say or think and a (perhaps subconscious) incentive to create conversation and drive traffic, Teague just got carried away.