Not during the month of March anyway. Not when their only two regular season games with the Heat are in the rear-view mirror. With the way the Pacers have been playing, there's no guarantee the Heat will even make it back to the finals should the Thunder make it out of the West.

Kevin Durant is concerned about winning games. Kevin Durant is concerned about improving his game and his teammates around him.

Would Durant like to win the MVP award? Of course, but he isn't about to sacrifice what's best for the team in order to bolster his own personal status.

In January, with a 12-game streak of 30-point games heading into a match-up with the Brooklyn Nets, Durant torched the Nets for 26 points on 10-for-12 shooting in just 30 minutes of play. Durant took a seat during the third quarter and did not re-enter the game.

On Monday night, with the Heat up 19 points heading into the fourth quarter vs the lowly Bobcats, LeBron stayed in the game and finished with a career high 61 points.

On Tuesday night, with the Thunder up 22 points heading in the fourth quarter vs the lowly 76ers, Durant took a seat and finished the game with 42 points.

This is the difference between the philosophy of the Thunder organization and most others. Durant could've easily eclipsed 50 points and likely made a push towards 60 if he had remained in the game during a fourth quarter blowout.

But for what? To answer LeBron's 61-point performance the night before? There's more to this season than trying to one-up King James each outing. This is about getting the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible and resting up for the next game.

LeBron had no business playing in the fourth quarter of that blowout win against Charlotte and everyone knows it. But James desperately wants to keep a firm grasp on the "number one player in the world" title and knows he needs some style points to close the gap on Durant this season.

Let LeBron run the score up during fourth quarter blowouts. Durant isn't concerned. He's focused on the task at hand and LeBron James has nothing to do with the current task.

LeBron may be concerned with public perception, but Durant is concerned with winning championships. Not one…not two…

Is there cause for a little concern? Sure. Is there cause to go into a full blown panic? Not at all.

First things first, it's just two games, people. Relax. The Thunder went head to head with two of the top teams in the league and came away with two very different losses, yet everyone is ready to lose their minds. Have we become that spoiled already?

Need I remind you of the two-time defending NBA champion Miami Heat led by the two-time defending league MVP LeBron James? Or how about the Thunder's number two biggest threat in the West, LA Clippers?

It's so easy to sit back and point your finger to the return of Westbrook as the reason for these losses, but the simple fact is there was far from any guarantee that the Thunder win these games without Westbrook. I would contend the outcomes wouldn't have been any different.

What is it that you are so concerned with anyway? The offense after scoring a season low vs Miami? Sure didn't seem to have any problems scoring against the Clippers. The defense? It's been an issue all season against up-tempo teams. They've scraped by and gotten lucky in a number of high-scoring close games this season already. Their luck was bound to run out eventually trying to out-shoot teams filled with shooters.

There are high expectations for this team as there should be. This Oklahoma City bunch is a good team. They are likely going to enter the playoffs as one of the top two seeds in the West. Westbrook has been rusty, but was thrown to the wolves in his first two games back. He knew he would be roasted unless torched the Heat and Clippers en route to two overwhelming victories. Those expectations were never going to be met. Give the man some time.

Up next? Four straight home games vs Cleveland, Memphis, Charlotte, and Philadelphia. I have a feeling that the level of optimism will return to normal levels in the next couple of weeks.

Let's all step back, take a deep breath and remove our fingers from the panic button. Westbrook will find his groove, the role players will adjust and the Thunder will resume their status as the most feared team in the league.

Dark Horse: Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies notoriously bounced the Thunder from the 2013 playoffs not long after Westbrook went down with his original injured knee. Despite every game being close, the Grizz "easily" knocked out OKC in five games. The Thunder are currently 2-1 in the season series vs Memphis, with the sole loss coming in an ugly 90-87 defeat in mid-January. Of course, if the playoffs were to start today then the Grizzlies would be on the outside looking in as they are currently a couple games back from the eight seed. It's not inconceivable to imagine the Grizzlies finding their way into the eight seed and taking on the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs. While the Thunder would still be the heavy favorites, the Grizzlies would be anything but an easy out in the first round.

  #5: Houston Rockets

While the Rockets currently occupy the third seed in the West, I don't anticipate them finishing that high. Despite the off-season acquisition of Dwight Howard and all the hoopla surrounding Harden and Howard supposedly dominating the league for years to come, the results thus far have been under-whelming. At 36-17, the Rockets are obviously not a team to take for granted, but count me amongst the bunch who think of Howard as more of a team cancer than savior. The Thunder have handled the Rockets in each of their two regular season match-ups thus far and I don't see them poising much of a threat to Oklahoma City this year.

#4: Golden State Warriors

Golden State just might be the most dangerous team on this list. While they are a wildly streaky team, when they are on, they are on. The lethal sharp-shooting combination of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson is likely one of the best pure shooting duo's in the league. Not to mention the issues the Thunder have had trying to slow down the Warriors in their three meetings this season. Despite ranking as one of the top defensive teams in the league, the Thunder have given up 116, 112, and 121 points to the Warriors in their three contests. Somehow OKC managed to win two of those games anyway, but none of them came easy. The Warriors will likely enter the playoffs as one of the finals seeds, but will be a dangerous squad to any team they face.

#3: Portland Trailblazers

Portland has been a bit of a surprise team in the West this season. They are the only team in the league to hold multiple victories over the Thunder. Early on in the season it appeared as though the Blazers simply had OKC's number after consecutive victories. The Thunder bounced back to even up the regular series 2-2 winning their last two encounters to put a wrench in that theory. Portland currently occupies the fifth seed in the West and have cooled off a bit since their hot start, but still remain a talented bunch with lots of depth. Look for the Trailblazers to finish as one of the top four seeds in the West by the end of the regular season.

#2: Los Angeles Clippers

The Lakers are no longer the premiere club in LA. Boy does that feel awkward to say. While the Lakers sit tied for last place in the conference, the Clippers currently sit in fourth place with a record of 37-18. The Thunder and Clippers have faced off only twice thus far with each team holding court at home. The Clippers are one of the few teams who posses a superior player at the point guard position in all-star Chris Paul. With Blake Griffin improving each year and the franchise committed to bringing in endless amounts of role players, they pose a serious threat in the Western Conference.

#1: San Antonio Spurs

Despite being declared "old" years ago, the core of the Spurs have kept this franchise at the top for over a decade. A day will come when Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili will fade off into the sunset of Spurs lore, but they don't seem quite ready yet. The sting of blowing the NBA finals in game six last season likely still remains at the forefront of their minds and they are no doubt set out for redemption. The Spurs and Thunder have faced off three times thus far with the Thunder taking all three contests. Make no mistake about it though, the seasoned Spurs remain the Thunder's biggest roadblock back to the finals.