The Zach Lowe Show – December 11, 2025

Episode: OKC’s Dominance, NBA Cup Preview, and Mega-Trades With Howard Beck! Plus, Mets Corner With Sean Fennessey.

Episode Overview

This episode of The Zach Lowe Show dives into the Oklahoma City Thunder’s historic dominance, the NBA Cup semifinals, and the shifting NBA "mega-trade" landscape with featured guest Howard Beck. The episode also includes a much-needed Mets Corner segment with Sean Fennessey, where the hosts process recent heartbreaks for New York Mets fans. Topics range from NBA parity, the trade calculus surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis, to deep ruminations on dynasty “villainy”, and a cathartic look at the latest Mets' woes.

Oklahoma City Thunder: Historic Dominance & Parity

The Thunder’s Run

• [03:00] Zach opens by marveling at OKC’s 24–1 record, 16-game win streak, and eye-popping +17 point differential per 100 possessions—far and away record-breaking.
• Emphasis on OKC’s depth: "They go 10 deep in quality players before you even get to Isaiah Joe or Kenrich Williams." (A, [04:38])
• The AJ Mitchell effect: "The AJ Mitchell thing is freaking more than real." (A, [05:09])
• Chet Holmgren’s shooting splits are lauded—"9,000% from the field… No, actually just 58%, 40% on threes." (A, [05:20])
• “They can counter anything… third most zoned against team… They’re getting better at that as we go.” (A, [05:37])

Can Anyone Challenge Them?

• Discussion of OKC’s easy early schedule ([10:21]).
• Zach and Beck analyze prospects for OKC tying the 1971-72 Lakers’ 33-game win streak.
  • “I’m already checking their schedule. Win number 33 would be at Houston...” (A, [03:28])
  • Beck: “I’m not going to be shocked if that mid-January game at Houston, they’re going for the record… would not surprise me.” (C, [09:41])
• Both agree that injuries or fatigue are the major risks—not other teams ([07:33 - 10:21]).

Thunder vs. The Field

• Zach initially says, “The answer should always be the field... injuries... but that’s a cop out. Yeah, I’m taking Oklahoma City over the field at this point, I’m giving them over 50% chance.” (A, [12:15])
• Beck emphasizes NBA’s intense parity, but even he’s wavering: “Is it a.m. i comfortable taking the field over the Thunder? No.” (C, [08:00])

Championship Contenders & NBA Cup Semifinals

Who Could Beat OKC?

• Denver Nuggets identified as the only true threat: “Denver is the only team I can see beating the Thunder four times in seven games.” (A, [12:41])
• Houston Rockets’ physicality and unique style may provide a “thing” to trouble OKC, but are only a “sliver” of a threat ([12:45], [71:32]).
• Beck compares OKC’s cycle with Warriors dynasties—depth vs. overwhelming top-end talent ([15:02–17:09]).
• Zach’s MVP talk: Shay Gilgeous-Alexander is the “offensive engine” and “the race will be over at this rate” if OKC keeps winning at this clip ([19:03–20:01]).

Notable Quotes

• “They play great basketball. I love great defense. Their defense is beyond hellacious.” (A, [30:18])
• On dynasties and villainy: “Dominance is always interesting… at some point, every juggernaut… they become a little bit of a villain just because they’re the team every fanbase is chasing.” (A, [31:27])

Are the Thunder ‘Boring’?

• Debate whether OKC’s dominance is “boring in a sort of Duncany Spurs kind of way” ([25:59]).
  • Beck: “It’s too simple to just say… the analogy and why the Thunder may remind us of the Spurs… dominant in a way that is less flashy than it is just lethal.” (C, [26:42])
  • Zach: “I think they’re a little more fun than this conversation suggests… Chet’s got some edge.” (A, [30:18])

NBA Cup Semis: Knicks, Magic, & League Notes

Knicks vs. Magic Preview

• Zach: “The Knicks were my pick to come out of the East at the beginning of the season. They’re second in the standings, but they’re playing like a team that can make the finals.” (A, [37:37])
• Both teams highlighted as potentially “Finals-caliber,” with the Knicks’ offense and defense balance and Magic’s two-way growth—even amid constant injuries.

Other Segments & Bullet Points

• [41:24–50:02]: Zach runs through quick takes:
  • Zach Edey “awesome,” Grizzlies surging with Ja Morant’s return, concern over Bulls’ direction, rash of clock malfunctions (“Get the clocks right. This is the NBA.”) ([43:03]), cup courts' slipperiness, delight of British accent on sideline coverage.

Mega-Trades: Giannis, AD, and a Shift in Valuation

Mega-Trade Retrospective & State of the Market

• Beck’s Ringer column (and discussion here) argues teams are now more conservative after several “all-in” trades have backfired: “I think… it’ll be a more conservative environment now.” (C, [50:14])
• Zach reflects on his own caution in big trades, advocating for teams not to over-expend picks/young stars for slightly improved odds.
  • “I've always been conservative to a fault… Trading up in star age...” ([53:10])

Giannis/AD Trade Market: Team-By-Team Breakdown

Atlanta Hawks

• Most appealing scenario is a Giannis–Trae Young trade centered on valuable picks acquired via the Pelicans ([58:00–62:43]).
  • “If I’m the Hawks… we get the better of the picks… you get the best one…” (A, [58:00+])
  • Beck: “The Hawks have been and remain in some configuration… the most compelling Giannis suitor.” (C, [62:43])

San Antonio Spurs

• Possibility of all-in move for Giannis raises questions: does it thin their lineup too much? Would trading key young pieces for Giannis be wise? ([66:14])
  • “It would be a bold play… but I want to see my team…” (A, [65:16])
  • Beck: “It feels very unspursian to make an all-in trade, especially an in-season all-in trade. This is a team that went like decades, I think, without ever making a trade in season…” (C, [66:14])

Houston Rockets

• "I don't think Houston is trading Sengun or Amen Thompson in a Giannis trade... If that's the case, there's just nothing to discuss here." (A, [69:51], [71:32])
• “54 million is a really, really hard number to get to.” (C, [72:35])

New York Knicks

• Knicks can't trade enough picks following Mikal Bridges deal; would a Cat/Bridges for Giannis/Kuzma deal even appeal to either side? Doubtful ([74:06–80:18]).
• “I'm not convinced that that team is better than the current Knicks team…” (A, [77:21])

Miami Heat

• Miami another possible destination for Giannis, but pick/payer packages not compelling for Milwaukee ([80:31–82:44]).
• “I also just don’t ever underestimate the Heat’s aggression, their ambition and their star-chasing.” (C, [83:11])

Memorable Quotes & Moments

| Time | Speaker | Quote / Moment | |----------|-------------|----------------------| | 03:00 | Zach Lowe | “The Thunder never lose… they go 10 deep in quality players…” | | 10:21 | Zach Lowe | “They've played the easiest schedule in the league by far. Part of the reason that is is because they don’t have to play the 24-1 Oklahoma City Thunder.” | | 19:03 | Zach Lowe | “Shay Gilgeous-Alexander… is averaging 33 points a game… the MVP race will be over at this rate.” | | 25:59 | Zach Lowe | “Is this potential dynasty quote, boring in a sort of Duncany spurs kind of way?” | | 34:39 | Zach Lowe | “Don't say it. Don't say… well managed. I don't want to hear it. I have an allergy to the phrase.” | | 77:21 | Zach Lowe | "I'm not convinced that that team (Knicks–Giannis) is better than the current Knicks team, which is already my pick to make the finals." |

Mets Corner: Sadness in Flushing

The Departures of Alonso & Diaz

• Extended segment with Sean Fennessey, processing the emotional and practical fallout after Pete Alonso leaves for Baltimore, Edwin Diaz to the Dodgers, and Brandon Nimmo to Texas ([85:39–113:32]).
  • “Pete Alonso is just the player that makes us happy. Edwin Diaz is just the player that makes us happy.” (B, [87:44])
  • Fennessey: “I think I’m just really disoriented… It’s not sadness, it’s depression.” (B, [90:28])

Where Is the Leadership?

• Disappointment in owner Steve Cohen’s noncommittal, vague public comments ([98:06–98:51]).
  • Fennessey: “Speak directly to the fans. Don’t call a reporter and try to get him off your back by giving him a two-sentence quote.” (B, [98:16])
  • Frustration with management’s leaks, lack of clarity, failure to make even a symbolic Alonso offer.

Looking to the Future — Rebuilding Pains

• Discussion of how the team’s strengths have weakened while pitching issues remain unaddressed ([95:13–95:31]).
• Sean sketches the “optimistic scenario” where farm talent and Soto deliver a winner by 2027; Zach is skeptical, worried about “unacceptably bad” short-term product.

Loyalty and Longing

• Both reaffirm their support, despite the turmoil.
  • “Nothing for the Mets people who are listening to this podcast still love the team, still all in, still can’t wait to see what they do next year.” (A, [113:02])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• OKC Thunder & NBA Parity: [02:50]–[41:24]
• Mega-Trades / Giannis & AD Trade Landscape: [50:02]–[84:18]
• NBA Cup Semifinals Preview / League Notes: [36:32]–[50:02]
• Mets Corner with Sean Fennessey: [85:39]–[113:32]

Summary

• The Oklahoma City Thunder are rewriting the NBA’s regular-season record book, drawing comparisons to past NBA dynasties, but with less top-heavy star power and a defense-first, methodical (sometimes “boring”) style.
• The league’s recent mega-trades are generating increasing caution among GMs; the cost for Giannis Antetokounmpo may be lower than for prior stars, and only a few teams (notably the Hawks) can offer enticing pick/player packages.
• Knicks and Magic join OKC and San Antonio in the NBA Cup semis, with both Eastern teams drawing praise for their Finals potential.
• The Mets' offseason is depicted as a nadir for fans, as beloved stars depart and the front office’s vision remains obscure—but the fanbase’s loyalty endures.

For NBA fans or Mets devotees who missed the episode, this deep-dive delivers the vital debates, trade talk, and the passionate highs and lows of true fanhood—straight, as ever, from Zach Lowe’s conversational court.