The Oklahoma City Thunder Complete One Of The Most Dominant Seasons In NBA History By Winning Their First Ever NBA Title
Jesse D. Garrabrant. Getty Images.
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The Oklahoma City Thunder started the 2024-25 NBA season 7-0, and by mid January, were 34-6. Since Day 1 of the season, they showed right away that they were a cut above the rest of the league. A historic defense, great depth, an MVP who would go on to have one of the best guard seasons in NBA history, this was a team that regained the top spot in the West on November 25th and then never gave it up again for the rest of the year. They finished with the greatest point differential in NBA history, something that put them in rare air and held them to a high standard given that every other team in the top 6 went on to win the title that year. They were 1 of 3 teams this year to hit 40/20, something that NBA history tells us a champion needs to do.
And finally, for the first time in their franchise's history, they are Champions.
It's truly unfortunate that we'll always look back on this Game 7 as a "what if" given the injury to Tyrese Haliburton, but that's sports. We've seen playoff Game 7s be impacted by injury before, including in the NBA Finals, and this certainly won't be the last. Haliburton's injury was very remincient of KD back in 2019 with the way Haliburton started the game, and that's also why it's such bullshit. By all accounts, it looked like we were headed for a Game 7 classic. To be robbed of that due to a devastating injury is fucked, and even with the Pacers doing their best to fight and stay competitive, eventually the talent separates.
For the Thunder to pull this off, they were going to have to start landing knockout punches, and for them, that formula is generating turnovers. Entering the second half, it was a 9-5 difference in points off turnovers. Part of the reason why the Pacers were able to hang around was because they didn't let things get out of hand. Then the 3rd quarter happened
The Pacers simply could not stop turning it over, and the worst part is they were almost ALL live ball turnovers. Careless passing, putting yourself in positions to be trapped, all of the things you can't do against the Thunder when you know they are looking to make a big run, is exactly what the Pacers did in those 12 minutes
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Even with TJ McConnell trying to put the entire Pacers franchise on his back by morphing into some sort of 2025 version of Steve Nash
he could only do so much. At some point, the "others" on the Pacers were going to have to help, but they were nowhere to be found. Obi Toppin with a brutal showing coming off his heroic Game 6. Rick Carlisle leaving Siakam and Nembhard on the bench for WAY too long, which allowed JDub to start to find his rhythm, was about a big an error as you can have in a game like this. Just like the Thunder have all year, they flipped a game in the 3rd quarter by causing chaos. You feel for the Pacers becasue obviously without their best player to navigate those situations things were going to be a challenge, but that's why winning a title is hard. You need luck and you need health.
Once the Thunder start turning you over, it's like falling in quicksand. As a team you start to panic, you start to get reckless with the basketball, and things immediately get a million times worse. Now, SGA is scoring in isolation. Now, guys are making big momentum 3s, and the crowd is going nuts as the Thunder pull away. That's how they won this title. When it came time to play to their identity, they did what they do best. They caused chaos and then capitalized on it. That 9-5 points off TOs in the first half? It was 27-5 by the end of the 3rd quarter. There's your ballgame right there folks.
So while I'm sure there will be some who want to be weirdos and put an "asterisk" next to this win for OKC, you won't hear me say it. They still had to go out there and take this title. Trailing at the half, the Thunder got back to their basics, their guys stepped up and made the plays to win on both ends, whether it was great defense at the rim by Chet or guys making big 3s down the stretch. You can't control who does or doesn't get hurt. All you can do is focus on your own execution and doing what needs to be done to win this Game 7.
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Plus, let's not pretend like this wasn't a historically dominant team. Every single part of their resume told you they were a team that goes on to win the title. It may not have been as dominant as we expected, getting taken to a Game 7 a few times and all, but whatever. They won those Game 7s, and your path is the path. It's not about doing what people expect, it's about getting 16 wins, and the Thunder got 16 wins.
Now, they will forever live on in basketball immortality. SGA, legend. JDub, legend. Chet, legend. Alex Caruso, legend.
With how quickly things can change in the NBA, you can't let seasons like these slip. You get maybe one of these things in your lifetime. A dominant wire to wire title season like this is NOT normal, and for the second straight season the best team all year ends the season as the last team standing atop of the playoff mountain.
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Congrats to OKC for a hell of a year and their first ever title. Hard to be much better than that.