DALLAS — When Al Horford talks about what the playoffs are like, it’s wise to listen. The 38-year-old veteran, who has played in 185 postseason games in his career, uttered the most meaningful observation following the Dallas Mavericks’ drubbing of his Boston Celtics on Friday.

OKC finished with a winning record of 57-25 for the first time since 2020, and it secured the No. 1 seed in a stacked Western Conference. The Thunder then reached the conference semifinals, where it suffered a 4-2 series loss to a Dallas team that's now in the NBA Finals.

It's also becoming increasingly evident it may not matter much.