The hard part is over. So is the really easy part that followed that hard part.
Russell Westbrook returned Nov. 28 and Kevin Durant made his season debut on Dec. 2, and the Oklahoma City Thunder found themselves with their fourth win in five games Sunday after handling the Detroit Pistons 96-94.
Wesbtrook and Durant were both solid, combining for 50 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists, all while shooting 19-of-38 and turning the ball over just six times. It's a narrow win against the 3-18 Pistons, hardly a message to the league, but the Thunder have done well to take advantage of a friendly stretch of schedule that coincided with the return of their two superstars.
Wins over the Utah Jazz, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons won't look like quality wins later in the year, and they lost to the New Orleans Pelicans within that stretch, but the Thunder are tallying wins once again. That's all that matters following a 4-12 start without their top guys, as the team's margin for error is terribly thin. Wins are wins, even if they're not the type the team will circle as season-makers later.
With Sunday's win, the Thunder are now 7-13, their hole in the Western Conference playoff picture trimmed to four-and-a-half games. That remains a daunting task, and while the recent wins have hardly been impressive, it's lessened the burden from here.
To get to 47 wins, right on the playoff fringe, the Thunder have to go 40-22 from here, just a 53-win pace. Over a full season, they're far better than a 53-win team, so the playoffs remain entirely possible. There's just no room for any stumbles.