Jason Terry: Thunder Are Team to Beat in Western Conference Right Now

While Dirk Nowitzki didn’t concede any praise for his Western Conference opponents recently, Jason Terry went the other direction. After the Mavs lost to the Thunder 95-86 Wednesday, the Dallas guard praised Oklahoma City.

“They’re the team to beat,” Terry said of the Thunder. “They’re playing the best right now, and that’s fine with us. For the time being, they are the team to beat. And they are playing very well together. Can they be beaten? Yes. They just were the better team tonight.”

Terry qualified his praise by saying OKC is the team to beat at the moment. It may be a different story when the playoffs roll around. But here’s the thing: If the Thunder clinch the top spot in the West — which seems highly likely — they will be tough to beat with a home court advantage. I have to consider them the favorite to reach the NBA Finals at this point.