Was did Andre Iguodala's comments about OKC mean?

Andre Iguodala recently said that the Oklahoma City Thunder were the best team in the playoffs. What did he mean and is he right?

Andre Iguodala is a man of few words.

He’s not like a Draymond Green, who feels the need to express himself at every opportunity. Iguodala chooses his words carefully with an exact audience and meaning in mind. He knows exactly what he’s trying to say and to whom.

The 2015 Finals MVP visited The Breakfast Club, a radio show aired in New York City on Power 105.1. The show, hosted by DJ Envy, Angela Yee, and Charlemagne tha God, is one of the major platforms for figures in the hip-hop world to share their stories and express themselves. The Breakfast Club was, most notably, the birth of “respeck” after rapper/producer Birdman visited the show only to rant for a few minutes, tell the hosts to “put some respeck” on his name, and storm out.

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Basically, the show is a big deal with a lot of people that pay attention. Iguodala went on it and talked about race relations, his financial philosophies, the WNBA, and the pressures on athletes to be role models. He also talked basketball, of course (having to sit through Charlemagne teasing him about getting his blocked shot late in Game 7 of the NBA Finals by LeBron James).

While he revealed a lot about his personal beliefs and spoke intelligently on a lot of subjects, the most head-turning comment Iguodala made, was about the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Wester Conference Finals:

"“Now that we got KD, I can say it: They were the best team last year in the league in the playoffs. They were better than us. They were better than Cleveland. … They were the best team in the playoffs. They should’ve won a championship.”"

Well, all right then.

Again, Iguodala doesn’t say anything without a purpose. He’ll never elaborate, giving us only what he wants to give us. He’s the master of mind games, with his words and his tweets. So, of course, it’s up to us, during the slow part of the offseason, to speculate and break down his comments.

Personally, I think it’s right. During the Western Conference Finals, there was a sense that the Oklahoma City Thunder had figured out the Warriors. They utilized a fantastic small lineup that used its length to bother Golden State on both ends of the floor. They orchestrated a Game 1 comeback on the road and dominated Games 3 and 4.

The Thunder did everything right when they built that 3-1 lead, before letting it slip away. Even during their collapse, the Golden State Warriors still needed to be extraordinary to force a Game 7. If it wasn’t for a Klay Thompson explosion late in Game 6 on the road, the Thunder would have moved on to the NBA Finals.

Using the momentum from defeating the 73-win Warriors team, it’s very possible (and my personal belief) that the Thunder would have beaten the Cleveland Cavaliers. Golden State broke down late in the Finals partly because their seven game series with OKC was exhausting while Cleveland had an easier road to the Finals, one that didn’t require them to exert themselves nearly as much.

Had Oklahoma City Thunder managed to finish off the Warriors, especially in less than seven games, then they would be the reigning NBA champions. Their length, execution, and a fully healthy point guard would have been far too much for Cleveland.

But Iguodala wasn’t only praising the Thunder; he was also throwing shade at the champion Cavaliers.

The Warriors didn’t seem to respect the Cavaliers all that much. From day one, Stephen Curry was apologizing to everyone that got mad at them for beating a team that didn’t have Kyrie Irving or Kevin Love. Later, when Golden State visited the Quicken Loans Arena, he said that he hopes the locker room still smells like champagne.

The Warriors beat that team twice in the regular season, playing two different games. They won a slow-paced methodical battle on Christmas and dominated a free-flowing affair in January. Then, with the league’s first unanimous MVP and 73 wins under their belt, they dominated the Cavs in Games 1 and 2.

They were destroying that “if Kyrie and Love were healthy” narrative one fast break at a time. Then, after building the same lead they overcame just one round earlier, they fell and they fell hard. The Warriors unraveled. Draymond Green was suspended, Andrew Bogut got hurt, and Steph Curry, the reigning 2-time MVP, was struggling on one leg.

What did Andre Iguodala mean?

By Carlos Murillo | Jul 18, 2016

Andre Iguodala recently said that the Oklahoma City Thunder were the best team in the playoffs. What did he mean and is he right?

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