The Oklahoma City Thunder are in a unique position in the Western Conference, having already clinched a postseason berth and, more specifically, the No. 1 seed. They currently have an insurmountable 13.

Oklahoma City is surging, Cleveland is slumping. That alone leads to a change atop the Arizona Republic’ s latest NBA power rankings. Last week: No. 2 in rankings. The Thunder are 13-1 in their last 14 games.

When the Oklahoma City Thunder added Alex Caruso, he was a popular pick to be a potential X-factor in the playoffs. Shuffle their 103-101 win over the LA Clippers to the top of the evidence case to how that can look on the court.