Stephen A. Smith believes the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets are the biggest threats to Oklahoma City’s title defense, pointing to Kevin Durant’s scoring and Dallas’ strong track record against the Thunder.
Oklahoma City Thunder finally broke through in 2025, winning their first championship behind MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
But as the team prepares for its title defense, debates have already started about who could challenge them next season.
On Gilbert Arenas’ “Gil’s Arena” podcast, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith pointed to two familiar Western Conference rivals as the biggest threats to Oklahoma City: the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets.
“I would not underestimate Houston because of KD, because I look at Oklahoma City's defense, big time, stellar, they have no answer for KD. No answer,” Smith explained.
“And they've had these scoring droughts, but their defense saves the day. Your defense ain't saving the day against KD. It's not happening.”
Credit Getty Images via AFP - Scanpix
Smith also highlighted Dallas as a team that has consistently given the Thunder problems.
“Dallas beat them. They run into Dallas with Kyrie, Dallas beats them. For some reason, Dallas has their number. And they know how to play against them. And I think because of that reality, you cannot dismiss the Dallas Mavericks as a threat.”
Both franchises strengthened their rosters this offseason. Houston brought in Kevin Durant to pair with its young core, while Dallas added top rookie Cooper Flagg alongside Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving.
Support BasketNews so we could make even better content.