Oklahoma City’s season has garnered a lot of praise — and rightfully so. The Thunder built on last season’s emergence and turned it into current dominance behind an elite defense and the perfect roster.

The Thunder’s rotation has been intentionally put together and looks nearly flawless on paper. Now that the injury bug has run its course, the rest of the season will have a focus on creating chemistry between Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein.

Last season, the Thunder fell short in the Western Conference Semifinals. Of course, it’s not what the team hoped for, but it could’ve been just what they needed to reach this next level. Hartenstein and Alex Caruso were added in the offseason, and it has obviously paid off. With a 50-11 overall record and a massive lead on the top seed in the West, this team is obviously a favorite to win it all.

On ESPN, former Thunder center Kendrick Perkins echoed what everyone else is thinking. This team is for real.

“The Oklahoma City Thunder are going to the NBA Finals,” Perkins said. “There’s not a team in the Western Conference that can beat them in a seven-game series.”

“Here’s the thing, when you look at OKC, they rank No. 1 defensively in damn near every category. Every category. They have no drop off, and it’s led by their top dog in SGA.”

Of course, everything starts with Gilgeous-Alexander. He is the overwhelming favorite to win MVP this season and looks pretty near unstoppable as of late.

Oklahoma City will have a few chances to cement its reputation as top dog against the Nuggets and Celtics over the next week. Obviously, the Thunder has already proven itself as a team, but against the NBA’s best, it’ll be the perfect test.

“And then you talk about how deep they are,” Perkins said. “You have a guy by the name of Aaron Wiggins that can possibly come in off the bench and light you up for 20 on any given night. As a matter of fact, he had 40 one game this season. Even deeper, you look at a guy like Isaiah Joe who could come in at any given time, he can get hot. They’re deeper than the Pacific Ocean.

“This Oklahoma City team is well-coached, they’re deep, they have a superstar … they are going to the NBA Finals.”

Perkins is right, the expectation should be for this Thunder team to reach the NBA Finals. And they are more than capable.