Doubt the Oklahoma City Thunder at your own risk

The disrespect grew louder Monday night after OKC blew a 24-point fourth-quarter lead to Minnesota. In Thunder's defense, this was the second night of a back-to-back without Chet Holmgren (rest), and they lost Isaiah Hartenstein early in the second half to a nose injury.

Several others have maintained the "show me in the playoffs" stance, citing Thunder's 4-2 loss to the Mavericks in last year's postseason. Former NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins believes the Thunder could be sent packing early if they draw the Warriors or Lakers.

Those analysts are justified in doubting the Thunder. But they will be forced to eat crow when Mark Daigneault's men run roughshod over their competition in this year's playoffs. It shouldn't shock anyone if OKC sweeps a few teams en route to the NBA Finals. 

OKC has every tool needed to succeed in the playoffs: a go-to option to close games (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander), a dependable No. 2 scorer (Jalen Williams), an elite defensive anchor (Luguentz Dort), two seven-footers to protect the rim (Holmgren and Hartenstein) and quality role players (Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe). They also have a pair of pit bulls in Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace, who can shut down the opposition's best guard any night. The Thunder check every single box.

ESPN's Tim Legler explained why the "Thunder are unproven" argument will fail this postseason. He rebutted the notion that OKC cannot handle physicality, which many have raised.  

"This OKC team is different [from last year]," Legler told "First Take" on Monday. "It's everything. It's the emergence of Aaron Wiggins — that dude is giving them 15 on a bad night. Cason Wallace. Isaiah Joe is one of the best individually-ranked defenders in the league. [Jalen Williams] is an all-league defender giving you 20 a night, and you got Shai, who has an answer for every defense. This feels different."

To put things in perspective, the Thunder (46-11) have maintained the largest points differential (12.72) and second-greatest net rating (12.8) in NBA history despite battling injuries all season. 

It's sheer lunacy for analysts to doubt this team.