The Oklahoma City Thunder are the NBA champions for the first time in the organization’s history. The Thunder, led by their Canadian MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, set numerous records this season on their way to the promised land. Sam Presti and Mark Daigneault were behind a truly masterful process over the past few years that saw SGA reach his peak of performance, several young stars becoming NBA icons, and, oh yes, they broke the scoring differential record set by the 1971-72 Lakers. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would be proud of such an incredible achievement by the second-youngest champions in NBA history.
The Thunder broke more records this season than you can shake a stick at
The regular season is a proving ground for the best teams in the NBA, and a graveyard for those on the opposite end of the scale. The Thunder won an incredible 68 games during the 2024-25 regular season. When you add the 16 postseason wins, it amounts to 84 victories. The only other teams in NBA history to achieve more wins were the 2015-16 Warriors and the 95-96 Bulls, both teams with legendary status in the NBA.
Offense sells tickets, defense wins championships
The offensive skills that the Thunder displayed this season were only half the story; their defense was what led them to the Finals this season. In Game 5 of the Finals, they became the first team to record at least 15 steals and 12 blocks in a single Finals game. The team’s foundation is based on defense, and players like Alex Caruso and Luguentz Dort have become the standard for defensive excellence in the NBA.
The Thunder set a new record for scoring differential in the 2024-25 season
The Thunder are on top of the world right now. Like their name suggests, the Thunder were a storm that the rest of the NBA were forced to contend with, most of whom did so with an uneasy level of understanding of how they managed to get to this point. Sam Presti and Mark Daigneault have spent the past few years developing the team into a legacy on the verge of joining a very exclusive list.
The Thunder set a new scoring differential record in the 2024-25 season, led by their Canadian superstar. The previous record set by the 1971-72 Lakers stood for more than half a century. That record was 12.3 points, which the Thunder have now shattered with their unbelievable 12.9 points per game. Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault had the following to say about his team with that twinkle of pride in his eyes:
“We’ve got a young team, and I think it’s important for them to understand some of the things we’ve accomplished. Franchise record for wins is a great accomplishment. Some of the other things we’ve accomplished together are great accomplishments. We don’t take them lightly. We’re grateful for them, and we can still be hungry despite that. It was an unbelievable regular season. It was a special group of guys that deserve these sort of things.”
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s first title is just the start of their legacy
A new era is upon us in the NBA. Dare we say that era could be dominated by the Oklahoma City Thunder? Their first title since relocating could be just the start of the latest legacy in the NBA. Like Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, SGA and the Thunder are on cloud 9 following their record-breaking season. And they have so much potential to win more titles as the team has huge draft and trade capital, thanks to some masterful talent scouting on the part of the Thunder’s front office. Will SGA continue his unstoppable form next season? Can they do the back-to-back title run? We certainly hope so.
