It seemed like a forgone conclusion that the Oklahoma City Thunder would win the NBA Championship this season. They compiled the best record during the regular season and had the league MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Actually, the Thunder dominated the league all season, setting point-differential records with dominant defensive ratings along the way. Still this Finals series against the Indiana Pacers team pushed them to the limit.
History tells us that titles rarely come easy in any sport. Especially in the NBA where playoff basketball it totally different than regular season basketball. NBA basketball in May and June shows us that players can play defense and do play hard for 48 minutes. That is why millions of fans do not watch NBA basketball until the playoffs start.
Here are some of my initial thoughts of OKC’s championship.
This group may have a few more titles in them. After all, they are the second-youngest team to win a championship, behind only the 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers. By the way, the Thunder have four first-round picks in 2026. They are only going to get better. They might just need to as the NBA has not had a repeat champion in seven years now.
Gilgeous-Alexander took over in Game Seven like he did the entire season it seemed. He got his 29 points but he also got everyone involved as evidenced by his 12 assists. SGA became the first player ever to win the scoring title, regular season MVP, conference finals MVP and Finals MVP.
Yes, it helps to have the best player on the court. But this Thunder team also showed off their defense while on the court. Game seven saw OKC come up with 14 steals while forcing 21 turnovers. Chet Holmgren had five blocks, the most ever in a Game 7. Like the old cliche goes, defense wins championships.
