Ja Morant, Grizzlies: Morant hasn’t played in the playoff since 2023, a quick five-game series loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. He wasn’t an All-Star this season or last season, and this is an opportunity for Morant, 25, to remind a larger audience of what he can still do on the court. The Thunder won the season series 4-0.

The dawn of what figures to be a long playoff run is as good a time as any to look back. To remind ourselves how the Thunder got here, to the point where Oklahoma City is the favorite to win the NBA title.