Bianchi: Sigh! Magic trying to build a contender, but Thunder are building a dynasty
Running off at the typewriter. …
Here's the difference between the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder and the Orlando Magic: The Magic blew a 3-1 lead in the first-round of the playoffs after their second-best player Franz Wagner missed Games 5, 6 and 7 with a strained calf. The Thunder are 8-0 in the postseason despite their second-best player Jalen Williams missing the entirety of the playoffs with a strained hamstring.
In other words, OKC treats injuries like speed bumps; the Magic treat them like meteor strikes.
Sigh.
You wonder if the Magic will ever be able to compete for a championship as long as the Thunder are around.
In fact, you wonder if any team in the NBA - with the possible exception of the transcendently freakish Victor Wembanyama and the emerging San Antonio Spurs - will be able to compete for a championship as long as the Thunder are around.
And, don't kid yourself, the Thunder aren't going anywhere for a long, long time.
The rise of OKC feels less like the arrival of a champion and more like the beginning of an era. The Thunder are young, deep, disciplined, and terrifyingly complete. Most championship teams force rivals to chase them for a season or two. The Thunder, however, seem built to dominate for the next decade. That reality makes the climb for promising teams like the Magic feel almost hopeless.
Don't get me wrong, I like Orlando's roster. They have length, defensive toughness, and emerging stars. In another era, that foundation might have been enough to dream realistically about a championship run. But Oklahoma City has raised the standard to an almost unfair level. And they've done it with a roster that's just as young as the Magic's and with an embarrassing amount of future draft picks still in their coffers.
They can survive injuries because their bench is overflowing with versatile talent. They have the best defense in the league and are top five in offense. They can win ugly, win fast or win with execution. Even more daunting, their best players are still ascending.
What separates the Thunder most is culture. Their roster plays with patience, selflessness and total trust in the organization's vision. There is no panic, ego or desperation. Every role player develops. Every draft pick matters. Every possession feels connected to something bigger.
Lakers coach J.J. Redick says this year's Thunder team is already among the all-time greats. Former NBA player and current NBA analyst Chandler Parsons, the former Lake Howell High School and Florida Gators star, says the Thunder's second unit would be a playoff team in the Eastern Conference.
Frighteningly, the Thunder have created the kind of machine that makes the Magic and every other young contender wonder whether their window of opportunity has already closed. …
SHORT STUFF: After being eliminated by OKC in the second round, It sounds like the Los Angeles Lakers are going to run it back with LeBron, Luka and the crew next season. And why not? Who knows what would have happened had Luka not missed the entire postseason with the tweaked hamstring. LeBron may be old, but he's absurdly productive - especially in games that matter. The Lakers may not be the Beatles in their prime, but they're like the Rolling Stones of today - older, richer and running mostly on legacy -– but somehow still selling out every arena in America. … Don't look now, but the Tampa Bay/Orlando Rays are leading the American League East after having won 16 of their last 19 games. Pretty impressive for a team that has a payroll that is roughly equivalent to the salary of a Yankees' utility infielder. …
Did you see where a judge ruled earlier this week that Tiger Woods' prescription drug records will be handed over to prosecutors following his March arrest in Florida on suspicion of driving under the influence? Which means prosecutors are about to learn what every golf fan already knows: Tiger's medicine cabinet has more depth than Ohio State's recruiting class. … Texas coach Steve Sarkisian told USA Today that "all you have to do is take basket weaving, and you can get an Ole Miss degree." Puh-leeze! Not that I'm defending Ole Miss's academic status, but bigtime football programs across America - including Texas - have been majoring in eligibility loopholes and participation degrees for decades. Do you know how many college football and basketball players over the years have "earned" their meaningless degrees not only in basket weaving, but in cake decorating, mascot management, booster schmoozing and tailgate operations? …
Speaking of Ole Miss, former Rebels coach Lane Kiffin, now at LSU, created quite the stir when he told Vanity Fair that some black recruits were not interested in coming to Ole Miss because of racial concerns and that Baton Rouge is much more diverse than Oxford. With all due respect, it's not like LSU or the state of Louisiana is devoid of historic racial tensions (see David Duke). Kiffin sounds like the employee who left Applebee's for Chili's and then brags about the international cuisine. … Did you see where the College Sports Commission won the first major test of its authority to enforce a salary cap in college sports earlier this week when an arbitrator upheld the new agency's decision to deny a set of "NIL" deals involving Nebraska football players. Ah, nothing says "amateur athletics" like salary cap arbitration. …
My operatives tell me that the Milwaukee Bucks are looking for a massive return in a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo - a haul that would include young talent, draft capital and whatever is left of the Brooklyn Nets' dignity. … Kudos to the Washington Wizards for winning the NBA's draft lottery. Finally, a success story in D.C. that doesn't include a leaked memo, a subpoena and a congressional hearing. … A moment of silence, please. Bobby Cox has just gone to That Big Braves Game on TBS in the Sky. … The SEC received six of the top eight seeds in the recently announced NCAA softball pairings. Hey, the Big Ten may have usurped the SEC's status as the top football conference in America, but don't worry because SEC fans have already printed their "It Just Means More" softball T-shirts. …
LAST WORD: With Friday being National NASCAR Day, let us never forget the quote from the late, great Henry Ford: "Auto racing began five minutes after the second car was built."
Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on social media @BianchiWrites and listen to my radio show "Game On" every weekday from 3 to 6 p.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen
Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.
This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 3:34 PM.