Stephen A. Smith sees Mavericks as Thunder's biggest threat: 'Always got OKC's number'

Celebrating an NBA championship, the Oklahoma City Thunder remain the popular favorite for the 2025-26 regular season. The sports world expects them to dominate once again and have a strong chance of being a rare repeat winner, thanks to impressive continuity.

That said, there's no such thing as a walk to the park in the NBA. Just like how the Thunder had to really earn their Larry O'Brien trophy these past playoffs with two Game 7 wins, there will surely be teams that could give them a run for their money at the biggest stage.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith believes that could be the Dallas Mavericks. He recently appeared on Gilbert Arena's podcast show to discuss the Thunder and who could be their biggest threats. He went with a surprise pick of a team many expect to have a rebuild year.

"I view Dallas as a pre-eminent threat because they've always got OKC's number," Smith said. "If you look at them last year, even when Luka was down, they still beat them. Oklahoma City running through everybody except Dallas. They run into Dallas without Luka. Dallas beat them. They run into Dallas with Kyrie, Dallas beats them. For some reason, Dallas has their number. And they know how to play against them. And I think because of that reality, you cannot dismiss the Dallas Mavericks as a threat."

While the Thunder went 1-3 against the Mavericks last season with their 68-14 record. There are some important caveats to bring up, though. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein all missed at least one of the three losses.

And funny enough, the Thunder's sole win was in Luka Doncic's sole game he played in while still in Dallas. With all four matchups played before the shocking 2024 NBA trade deadline that saw the Mavericks trade him away to the Los Angeles Lakers, you can kind of throw that tape outside the window.

The new-look Mavericks will have a fresh slate against the Thunder this upcoming season. Cooper Flagg and Anthony Davis replace Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Those dynamics are too large to ignore. While Dallas may have given OKC in recent years, the reasons why are now gone.

Stephen A. Smith sees the Mavs as the Thunder’s biggest threat from repeating next season:

“They’ve always had OKC’s number.”
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— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) August 24, 2025

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Stephen A. Smith sees Mavericks as Thunder's biggest threat