BJ Armstrong on Thunder’s amazing regular season: ‘Half the league is tanking’

Former Bulls point guard B.J. Armstrong hears the chatter. It says maybe this season’s Oklahoma City Thunder are among the greatest regular-season teams in NBA history.

Armstrong was a member of the 1995-96 Bulls squad that finished 72-10 and went on to win the championship. He didn’t dispute that the Thunder may be up there. But he also pointed out that in today’s era, there’s plenty of tanking going on. Meaning that sometimes, regardless of who you are, you face teams that may be aiming for a better pick in the NBA Draft than they are a victory.

That’s a really long way of saying that opponents lose on purpose sometimes.

Anyway, entering Wednesday night, the Thunder sat at 63-12 with just seven games to go. When you think about how this franchise once had Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden all at the same time … well, it’s crazy to think this year’s version may be the best yet. Maybe, that is.

“The league has changed,” Armstrong said on the Hoop Genius Podcast with Mo Mooncey. “Half of the teams are tanking. So let me know … should I be impressed or should I …”

Armstrong took a long pause.

“If we just wanna sit here and look at the stat sheet and start comparing, alright, I’ll do that, if that’s what you want to do,” he said. “Half of the teams are tanking. … I respect what (the Thunder) have done, I respect the players. However, here’s the era where it is what it is. 

“We’re fining teams for not playing their players. I don’t recall that happening a few years ago.”

Armstrong added that he had to go out for “a walk, or a drive” after seeing how the Pacers scored 162 points, on the second night of a back-to-back, against the lowly Wizards.

“This is a new era, let’s just recognize what it is,” he said. “And again, before we start comparing … what are the metrics, what are we observing? Then just say, hey, it is what it is. (OKC) is a very good team, but the regular season is the regular season. Let’s see what this team does once the playoffs begin.”

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Either way, regardless of era, this Thunder team has been amazing, with NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way. They have played physical, playoff-style basketball all season, and that should bode well for the actual playoffs.

How good are they compared to other eras? That’s all in the eye of the beholder, it seems, as it always is when comparing the NBA present and past.