The defending Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder have experienced great success with a young team of emerging stars. The have a better team chemistry than any other team in the west and come into the season with championship expectations
The Thunder have brought in Perry Jones III, Hasheem Thabeet and Hollis Thompson to replace the departure of veterans Derek Fisher, Nazr Mohammed and Royal Ivey. So they have gotten younger off the bench but have replaced two unknown variables in rookie Jones and former Georgetown swingman Thompson.
The goal for the Thunder is to save money as NBA blocks leader Serge Ibaka and Sixth Man of the Year James Harden become eligible for contract extensions. They are hoping that Durant and Westbrook will adjust and become true leaders now that there are fewer veterans around.
The team is young and hungry for championship gold and is hoping that last season's NBA Finals series loss will give them the experience they need to supplant the Heat as the reigning NBA Champions. But according to 2K Sports' NBA 2K13, the Thunder will fall short of their goal.
The new basketball video game has the new-look Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Thunder in seven game in the Western Conference Finals to advance to the championship series..
The game does however predict that Durant and Westbrook will achieve personal awards. Kevin Durant will win the MVP for the 2012-13 season and Westbrook will be named the NBA All-Star game's MVP.
Here is how the game simulates the Thunders' season:
Regular Season Record: 59-23 Best record in the NBA
Top scorers: SG James Harden 17 PPG, SF Kevin Durant 28 PPG, PG Russell Westbrook 29.3 PPG
Leading rebounders: PF Serge Ibaka 7.5 RPG, C Kendrick Perkins 8.8 RPG, SF Kevin Durant 8.9 RPG
Assist Leader: SF Kevin Durant 3.7 APG, SG James Harden 5.4 APG, PG Russell Westbrook 6.7 APG
Playoff Opponents
Round 1: Memphis Grizzlies, The Thunder win the series 4-0
Round 2: Denver Nuggets, The Thunder win the series 4-1
Eastern Conference Finals: Los Angeles Lakers, The Lakers win the series 4-3
NBA Finals: Did not qualify
You check out our review of the game here and read about Jeremy Lin's player rating here.
Check out our other NBA 2K13 team previews:
Miami Heat
Oklahoma City Thunder
San Antonio Spurs
Boston Celtics
Los Angeles Lakers
Philadelphia 76ers
New York Knicks
Brooklyn Nets
Chicago Bulls
Los Angeles Clippers
Minnesota Timberwolves
Portland Trail Blazers
Cleveland Cavaliers