The Oklahoma City Thunder have reached the promised land that is the NBA Finals. They beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in a blowout performance that was the epitome of their season this year. The Oklahoma City Thunder have the potential to go all the way and be crowned champions for the first time in their history. In a season that saw some surprising upsets(the Knicks beating the Celtics comes to mind), the Thunder have consistently performed well from the beginning of the season. How did the Thunder reach the finals for the first time since 2012?
How did the Oklahoma City Thunder start their season this year?
The Thunder started the season as one of the favorites to reach the Playoffs in the Western Conference. They have established themselves as a regular-season star performer and a match for any team in the NBA. Along with a solid lineup, they had a formidable head coach in Mark Daigneault, who, while being relatively young in comparison to other coaches in the NBA, was an incredible tactician and motivator.
OKC began the season strong with a win against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, 25 October 2024. The MVP for this season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, started his MVP run with 28 points in that game, while Chet Holmgren had 14 rebounds in a comprehensive 102-87 win for OKC. Ironically, it would be the Denver Nuggets that gave OKC their first loss, 6 games later.
The rest of the regular season was to look much the same for OKC. They ended the regular season at the top of the standings in the Western Conference with a record of 68 wins and 14 losses, much to the delight of their fans. The last time OKC got to the playoffs in 2012, they were beaten in 5 games by the Miami Heat and LeBron James.
OKC’s playoff performances this year have been out of this world.
The postseason is where OKC has struggled in recent years. While their regular-season performances have been something to behold, they have not been able to replicate that form in the postseason. Barely losing last year against the Dallas Mavericks, in what would be Luka Doncic’s final playoff run with the Mavs. However, they displayed maturity and resilience this year and ensured a Finals appearance thanks to their blowout performances against the Timberwolves.
The last time that OKC were crowned champions of the NBA, they had a different name and location. The last time they won the ultimate prize in basketball was as the Seattle Supersonics in 1979. The Supersonics boasted some of the best players in the world at the time, such as Gus Williams, Dennis Johnson, and Jack Sikma. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be looking to replicate Gus Williams’ MVP performances and win the Finals MVP for the 2024-25 season.
Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams have been essential in giving SGA the kind of support that propelled him into MVP status. OKC’s defense was the defining factor in their success this season and the reason that Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards have not been able to score at the same rate that got them to the Playoffs. They simply could not deal with OKC’s defense. While the season has been a resounding success so far, OKC has faced some problems off the court.
Can the Oklahoma City Thunder go all the way this year and win the Finals?
If you asked any NBA pundit at the beginning of the season who would be the eventual winner, OKC was always in the top spot. They performed exceedingly well in the past few seasons, but lacked that killer instinct to get them to the Finals. This year seems to be their year as no team in the NBA has been able to match their exceptional team defense and the amazing scoring abilities of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. With the MVP award for the regular season all wrapped up in a neat blue ribbon, the question for the OKC fans is, can they win it all this year?
