Surreal moment for KMARK this MDW. Went out Monday only to be swarmed by fans, free food (hot dogs, Italian beef) and drinks. Wild. Was it my friend’s BBQ? Were 11% of my subscribers there? Who cares. I’ve made it to the Big Time. I’m Stephen A now.

NBA Playoffs - speaking of Big Time. Ant and Randle go very, very small at home. 21 points combined in Game 4. Thunder knocking on the Final’s door.

Knicks feeling better about the Randle/KAT trade. A 20 point 4th quarter spurs Knicks win. Thibs unleashes himself and his bench. Will we see more Tuesday night? I’m extremely intrigued.

MLB Division Leaders - let’s check-in on who’s cookin:

AL: Yankees, Tigers, Mariners

NL: Phillies, Cubs, Dodgers

NY, CHI, LA plus the rest of the country. We’re entering the phase of baseball where small sample sizes are becoming a thing of yesterday. Dog days around the corner. Prospects getting called up. Trade deadline soon. Squeeze this last month of the NBA. Seam SZN coming soon.

We like to talk team building and timelines here at KMARK. How can teams build rosters, manage the money, and align talents at just the right time to chase a title?

Boston is perhaps the best model for Window Alignment. The meat of the Paul Pierce/KG Nets trade, yielded Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in back to back drafts. As those two matured, Boston became perennial East juggernauts. Brown’s Finals MVP last season delivered a chip. OKC’s journey isn’t quite as linear. Shai arrived in 2019. Jalen Williams wasn’t a Thunder until the 2022 draft (12th overall). Yet it’s Williams emergence that has OKC ready to punch a ticket to the next (last) round.

Williams is only in his third year. Last season’s playoffs exposed his inexperience. The Mavs (including Fat Luka) held Jalen to 17ppg in a 4-2 second round loss. If the Thunder were going to reach new heights, Shai needed a stable running mate. After evaporating (6pts) in Game 6 against Denver, Williams responded with 24 in a Game 7 blow out. He’s followed that up stable production across the WCF including 34 last night. He’s here. The moment is no longer too big for him. These playoffs don’t feature Lebron, Steph, Jokic (anymore), Boston, or any other team/individual with deep Finals experiences. The lights are dimmed a bit. It’s a perfect alignment for Williams. He can struggle through one or two duds with enough rope to get his footing right.

The 2022 draft is already showing up all over the playoffs. Chet went 2nd. Benedict Mathurin went 6th. The Pistons found Jalen Duran one pick after Jalen Williams. The point here is that running mates and superstars can be found up and down the lottery. The Thunder are being paced by two guys picked outside the top 10. My brain is swimming with parallels between Williams, the Thunder, the NFL. As good (not great) teams bump into the Second Apron, will we see more competition for picks 10-20? Williams played 3 seasons in college and that seasoning is no doubt propelling his ascent even though he isn’t in the years 6-8 golden period of NBA stardom. Does roster building start to look more like the NFL? Pairing a win now QB (Shai) with a slightly younger (Chet, Jalen) core? If you haven’t figured it out by now, I love the Thunder for the next 10 years, and I’m deeply invested in this draft beyond King Cooper.