How the Oklahoma City Thunder Broke the NBA

How the Oklahoma City Thunder Broke the NBA

a chance to send the Thunder home. Long range. Good night, Oklahoma City. Season over. What does this tell you about the Thunder? Tells me they’re in a world of trouble. OKC in consecutive years drafted MVP. MVP. MVP. Zero championships to show for it. You blew it, Thunder. Breaking news. Kawhi Leonard has chosen the Los Angeles Clippers. Kawhi went to the Clippers and said, “I’ll sign with you guys, but I’m not going to go by myself.” They are sending to Oklahoma City essentially a record collection of draft picks for Paul George. The Thunder have to rebuild now and they have to find a way to do what they couldn’t do in the end, which is win a title. The problem is when you’re in the middle of the country in a small market, that is incredibly difficult to do. A dream realized the storybook season is complete. The final chapter reads the Oklahoma City Thunder of the 2025 NBA champions. From start to finish, the team that ruled the 202425 NBA season with an iron fist was none other than the Oklahoma City Thunder. With a 68 and4 record, no other team in the famously dominant Western Conference could touch them with a 10-ft pole. This was a testament to their unbelievable roster talent. The Thunder constructed one of the greatest teams in NBA history. They have elite star power, incredible defense, and overwhelming depth that annihilated opponents on a nightly basis. What if I told you though that just three seasons before this, the Thunder were sitting at the bottom of the league with 24 wins to their name for an entire season? There were constant rumors about Sheay wanting a trade and a sizable majority of critics who wanted executive Sam Prey fired. Then just three more seasons before this in 2019, OKC was the laughingstock of the league. Both of their stars, Russell Westbrook and Paul George, had just gotten humiliated by Damen Lillard and the Portland Trailblazers, having their season ended on an unbelievable 37 ft bomb. So, how in the world did the Thunder manage to transform so dramatically in such a short span of time? While other franchises are out here rebuilding for what feels like a decade, OKC went from bad to great in the blink of an eye. Well, ladies and gentlemen, this is how the Oklahoma City Thunder completed the greatest rebuild of all time. 2019, the year of Avengers, Oldtown Road, the Notraam Cathedral Fire, and the last time life was normal before things got crazy. It was also the year that had one of the most entertaining NBA playoffs ever. One that famously featured two buzzer beating game winners. One, the Kawawaii shot against my Sixers. Yeah, in my life. And the second, the Damen Lillard shot against the Thunder. In round one of the 2019 postseason, OKC squared off against the Portland Trailblazers in a series that many believed would go the Thunder’s way. Paul George had just wrapped up an MVP year while star guard and franchise icon Russell Westbrook had the perfect opportunity to bury his ultimate rival Dame Dala. The stars were aligned, the momentum was there, and the belief was real. This was supposed to be the beginning of a deep playoff run. But what followed wasn’t a triumph. It was a collapse. Damen Lillard crushed Russell Westbrook, embarrassing him on the biggest stage. He taunted him after every bucket and left him wide open, daring him to shoot threes that usually resulted in bricks. Paul George, who everyone expected to feast because he played so well in the regular season, was crippled by a brutal shoulder injury that killed his shotmaking ability. All Thunder fans could do was watch in horror as an entire season of basketball came to a sudden end at the hands of one man. In the final game five, Lillard took PG-13 on a dance, nailing a 37 foot step back three that won them the game and ended the series. It marked the third straight year OKC had been eliminated in round one. After he hit the shot, Lillard waved goodbye to Westbrook. It was a fitting celebration. One, because the Thunder season was over, and two, because this was the shot that killed the Russell Westbrook era and OKC. For as painful as this moment was for the Thunder, now it’s clear that it was the best thing to ever happen to them. This series exposed the harsh truth. It was time to move on. The decision to exit this era, though, wasn’t made by Sam Prey, the Thunder’s famously successful executive. It was made by none other than everyone’s favorite part-time player, full-time podcaster, Paul George. In the summer of 2019, free agent Kawhi Leonard shocked the league by joining the LA Clippers. He had signed with them on one very important condition. Bring me Paul George by any means necessary for I’ll go somewhere else. PG loved this idea, so he went to Prey and requested a trade. This was the perfect scenario for the Thunder Office, who utilized this demand to exert maximum leverage over the Clippers front office and extract every asset imaginable for PG. Eventually, the two sides came to an agreement in a trade that’s widely viewed as one of the most lopsided in NBA history. In exchange for Paul George, the Thunder received Shea Gilchrist Alexander, Denilo Galinari, five first round picks, and two first round pick swaps. It was a trade that had come out of nowhere, sending shock waves through the NBA world. Shortly thereafter, Russell Westbrook met with the front office and quietly requested a trade to a contender. The Thunder happily obliged, moving their longtime superstar to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul. Two first round picks and two first round pick swaps. Yet another tremendous hall of assets. The reason why they got such a rich return for Westbrook was because James Harden had previously demanded that his Rockets acquire his former buddy. So, in a funny way, the Thunder have both Kawawaii and Harden to thank for all this. Appreciate it, guys. After later trading starting forward Jeremy Grant to the Nuggets for another pick later on, OKC had now collected 15 first round picks over the next seven years. Here’s the thing, though. Unless you’re Kenny Beichum who can rebuild with his eyes closed, having all these picks doesn’t guarantee a championship. A team can have as many picks as they want, but if they draft poorly, it doesn’t matter. What made the Thunder so elite was their incredible eye for talent. A talent that was showcased in the first year of their new era, the 201920 season. A year that saw the underdog Thunder shockingly make the playoffs. I’m not using the word underdog lightly. By the way, entering the season, ESPN concluded that OKC had just a 2% chance of making the postseason. Most analysts believe that newly acquired Chris Paul was washed, that Sheay wasn’t ready for big minutes, and that all the other role players were too insignificant to make any sort of a real impact. In what served as a foreshadowing for the successful era to come, though, OKC had an incredible season, going 44 and 28. They didn’t just sneak into the playoffs either. They comfortably made it in, landing at the fifth seed. The captain steering the entire ship was the point guard CP3, who played so well that he earned his first all-star appearance in four years at the ripe age of 34. Paul was written off as dead in the water by critics. His last season with the Rockets a year prior was an injury-riddled mess that saw him get slandered as a losing player not worth a damn. In OKC though, he was back and better than ever, averaging 17 and seven and finishing seventh in the MVP race. Next to him playing the two was the young and upcoming Shay Gildris Alexander. Previously in LA, the former 11th overall pick had scratched and clawed his way into becoming a consistent starter on a competitive Clipper squad. He didn’t get the hype other rookies in his draft class like Luca Donuch got, but he was viewed as a promising talent with some potential. Like CP3, Sheay also proved his worth this season, breaking it out into a star with a 19 points per game average. The team’s third best player, Dennis Schroeder, usually came off the bench, offering dynamic scoring and valuable offense. These three guards were the best players on the team and were a big reason why OKC made the postseason. In crunch time, coach Billy Donovan would play all of them together to incredible success. They had the best net rating out of any three-man group in the league. Fast forward to the bubble and OKC met the Houston Rockets led by James Harden in round one of the playoffs in what ended up being a hard-fought series that the Thunder lost in seven. The most notable moment to come from this series was the rise of Luke Dort, an undrafted rookie wing who had been picked up by the Thunder the previous summer. He was getting headlines for some good stuff and some not so good stuff. On one hand, his defense was fantastic, but on the other, his offense was putrid. In games one through six, he shot just 18% from three. On seven of 38 shooting total. Every time he received a pass on the perimeter, he fired away despite being wide open on many occasions. He was the anti Ben Simmons. He shot it too much and it was costing the Thunder big time. In a game five blowout loss, he shot 0 of nine from distance. Come game seven though, he turned it around, nailing six threes and scoring 30 points total. On the final possession of this do or die game with the Thunder down by one, Dort had a chance to hit a series winning three, but his shot was blocked. He turned the ball over, sealing the loss. The lasting image of the 201920 Thunder season was James Harden, the former OKC star and now the victor, roaring in triumph as rookie Lou Dort looked on in frustration and disbelief. It’s tough. We we we fought hard all year. Um, obviously a lot of people doubted us, but we didn’t doubt ourselves. And so, uh, yeah, that’s that’s that’s a tough one. Despite the elo, all in all, this season served as a major step forward for the Thunder franchise. In just one year, they had gone from a team with no direction under Russell Westbrook to one considered to have the brightest future in the league. Now, it was time to tear it down even more and enter full rebuild mode. Early in the offseason, they parted ways with Chris Paul, trading him to the Phoenix Suns for Kelly Ubé in a first. Then they flipped UB to Golden State for yet another first. A mistake that NBA teams often make is panicking when a player sucks and trading them at the rock bottom of their value. The Thunder did the opposite of this. They helped rebuild the careers of those who were struggling and then later traded them for assets. Chris Paul was the first example. He had gone from overpaid and unwanted to a sought-after player by the Suns. All thanks to the opportunity provided by OKC. Another example would be Al Horford. In this same offseason, the Thunder acquired him from Philly, receiving another first alongside him in the trade. At the time, Horford’s value was about the same as the rocks your 5-year-old cousin collected at the beach. Philly genuinely couldn’t wait to get rid of him and shed his overpaid salary. Ever wonder how Horford went from playing like a double agent as a Sixer to a champion in Boston? You can thank Sam Pressie and the Thunder. They acquired him and put forth a legitimate plan to help revive his career. Horford played just 28 games in the 202021 season, performing well and then later agreeing with the team to sit out for the rest of the year in late March even though he was healthy. This worked out well because OKC could tank and Horford could train with the organization and keep his conditioning up to par. Later on in the summer of 2021, the Thunder traded Horford to the Boston Celtics for, you guessed it, a first round pick. It’s like the Thunder had discovered an unlimited draft pick glitch. They also ran this experiment with Kemell Walker, who they received in the Horford trade, and Derek Favors, who they received a first for in a trade from Utah in July 2021. Both weren’t as successful in reviving their careers. But Kemba spoke glowingly about his experience with the Thunder organization and how accommodating they were. OKC know I talked to Sam. He was great. He was he was actually just unbelievable, man. He showed me a lot of respect. He was fun to talk to. He checked up on me a lot. He helped me a little bit with my recovery, you know, as I was with OKC at the time. This seems to be a common sentiment amongst players who played with OKC. Their organization is incredibly well-run, which makes it quite the appealing basketball destination despite being in the desolate state of Oklahoma. As for trading players at the peak of their value, in 2020’s offseason, OKC traded Dennis Schroeder, who just had a career year, to LA for the 28th pick at the time, Jaden McDaniels. They later flipped McDaniels for the 17th pick. Redditor turned NBA player Alexe Pukushevsky. A bad move in retrospect, of course, as Pokushefsky sucked and McDaniels became elite, but an example nonetheless of how OKC turned Schroeder into a borderline lottery pick. Up next was the 202021 season, which marked year 1 of the Thunder’s official rebuild. Leading the charge was a new coach by the name of Mark Dagnalt. Previously, it was Billy Donovan who had coached the team from 2016 to 2021. Donovan wasn’t interested in undergoing a rebuild in Oklahoma City though, so the two sides parted ways and the Thunder brought in G-League coach Stagnol to lead this new era of hoops. The new guy on the block was just 35 years old, the second youngest coach in the league, and he had put together five successful seasons overseeing the G-League affiliate Oklahoma City Blue. He would end up being the perfect coach to help lead this team full of young untapped talent. The 202021 season for the Thunder saw them win the fewest games in their franchise’s history, just 22. It was their first losing season in 12 years. They had the league’s worst offense and worst net rating. After trading away all the vets, the roster was mostly inexperienced young players. It was so bad that once the season wrapped up, there were some serious rumors floating around about the possibility of the Thunder shopping Gilders Alexander in the trade market. SGA was coming off a forgettable year. He played just 35 games, missing most of the season due to a torn ligament in his foot. One rumor specifically said that OKC offered Sheay and the sixth pick to the Detroit Pistons for the number one pick so they could draft Kate Cunningham. Sam Prey shot down these headlines though and claimed they were manufactured by social media. But he was countered by NBA insiders like Jake Fischer, who said that while it would have taken a lot to get SGA in a trade, he was no longer untouchable like many had previously believed. The reason behind this speculation was due to the fact Sheay was due for a 5-year max extension that some felt OKC would be unwilling to give because it didn’t match the rebuilding timeline. Looking back now, it’s truly unfathomable that Sheay was ever in trade talks for even a second. But it goes to show how things weren’t always rosy and sunny in Oklahoma. Even if it may look perfect from the outside, the Thunder made a few crucial mistakes in their rebuild. One of them occurring during the 2021 draft with their sixth pick here. They chose Josh Giddy. Fron Bagner was chosen two spots later at 8. I won’t chalk this one up as being that big of a mistake though because Giddy is still a good player. The biggest error came a few picks later when the Thunder drafted Alpin Shenon with the 16th pick, but traded him to Houston for two protected firsts that ultimately were worth little in the end. Shangon is one of the most promising young centers in the league and would have fit OKC like a glove. Even while writing this script after they won the championship, I’m still seeing Thunder fans complain about this move, which is the type of greed they warned about in the Bible. Anyways, at the end of the summer, OKC capped off their off season by signing Sheay to a 5-year max steel, thus quelling all the rumors about a possible departure. The Thunder’s belief in SGA was unwavering, and soon the rest of the league would find out why. The 2021-22 season saw OKC make little improvement win-wise. They were still pretty dog, winning just 24 games, two more than the prior year. The peak of their hell came on December 2nd, 2021, where the Thunder lost by 73 points on the road to the Memphis Grizzlies, the biggest blowout in NBA history. It’s worth noting that the year prior in May 2021, they lost at home by 57 to the Pacers. They now had both the largest road loss and home loss in NBA history. Not everything was bad, though. The Thunder were still building a foundation for the future, largely thanks to the efforts of their coach, Donult. He treated everyone as equal, whether you were the star of the team or the last man on the bench, and utilized a system of freedom and fun to help prioritize development. Such a system planted the seeds for the World Beaters we know today. In the final game of the 2022 regular season, the Thunder lost by 50 to the Clippers. Afterwards, Srey complimented LA, the team that reminder helped kickstart this rebuild with the Paul George SGA trade. He said that he believed the Clippers had the best roster in basketball and would likely win multiple championships in the near future. Three years later though, it wasn’t the Clippers raising banners. No, they won nothing. It was OKC who took the crown. Outside of Sheay, Dort, and Aaron Wiggins, nobody else on this year’s roster stayed with the team through their championship run in 2025. Most of the players who ended up hoisting the trophy were brought in during one crucial offseason, the summer of 2022. That year, Oklahoma City entered the draft armed with three first round picks. It was a golden opportunity, but one that meant nothing if they couldn’t deliver. After back-to-back brutal seasons, all eyes were on Sam Prey. Pressure was building. He needed to pick up a game-changing talent to turn the tides in their favor. Starting first with the second pick. The 2022 draft had three consensus top talents. Paulo Bancerero, Chad Holgrren, and Jabari Smith. Banero was talented, but there were fears that he wouldn’t fit into the Thunder scheme with his poor defense and ball dominant play. Javari Smith was a polished, offensively savvy wing, and the Thunder were reportedly very interested, even promising him that they draft him at number two. Ultimately though, they look the other way in favor of Cadet Homegrren, who they viewed as the perfect fit at the center position with the highest ceiling. The real steal in this draft though came 10 picks later at number 12 where OKC chose Jaylen Williams, a 6’6 shooting guard from Santa Clara who had just wrapped up his junior year. JDub had excelled in the combine which spiked his draft stock from a projected late first to a lottery pick in just a few weeks. Many thought his ceiling was just an elite role player, but he turned out to be a cornerstone piece that was unbelievably important to the Thunder success. Also acquired in this draft was the 11th pick Usman Jenang in a trade and the other Jaylen Williams with the 34th pick. Jen wouldn’t become anything special while Williams became the number one Sha Heightman. As for free agent signings this summer, there were none that mattered besides one small signing that took place right before the season began. The NBA’s dumbest franchise, the Sixers, decided to wave their 2020 second round pick, Isaiah Joe, because Doc Rivers wasn’t giving him playing time. The Thunder, who identified talent better than anyone, pounced and brought him in. Joe ended up bolstering OKC’s bench even more, becoming one of the best shooters in the league. Everything was coming together for the Demons in Oklahoma. It was time to win some ball games. Wait, what? You’re telling me Chad the 7oot twig suffered a season ending injury in a meaningless summer scrimmage game against LeBron James? What? Yes, this happened in a cruel twist of irony. Chad, who had been mocked for years regarding his skinny stature, went down after just one measly bump from LeBron James in a ProAm game, rupturing attendant in his foot that caused him to miss the rest of the season. In just one play, all the excitement that had been building in OKC was shot dead. The train had to keep chugging though. The show must go on. And despite the untimely injury, the 2022 23 season marked a turning point in the Thunder’s rebuild. After two long seasons of garbage, the Thunder were finally in the playoff hunt again. They jumped to fifth in offensive rating after being ranked second worst and worst in the previous two years. This was all thanks to Sheay and his incredible leap to a superstar player. He earned his first All-Star appearance with a 31 points per game average. SGA could score from anywhere on the floor, whether it was through his patented mid-range game or elite finishing ability. JDub also erased any doubt, immediately becoming a consistent starter and finishing second in the Rookie of the Year race. He was one of three franchise pieces that finished top three in awards this season. She finished second in most improved while coach DNA finished second in coach of the year. OKC had shocked everyone with their sudden lead, even taking things a step further when they won a playin game as the 10th seed against the ninth seated Pelicans. This game served as the first time this young OKC squad had played in a high stakes matchup like this, and they delivered in front of the bright lights. Sheay dropped 32, including a series of clutch shots down the stretch. Loud Dort, whose offense had transformed from his days in the bubble with an improved shot selection, scored 27 with four threes. Josh Giddy also piled on a 31point near triple double. OKC’s young core was dominant and they annihilated the heavily favored Pelicans. This dub served as a coming out party, a taste of what was to come from the Thunder in the postseason. Next up in the playin was the Minnesota Timberwolves who blew out the Thunder to end their season. OKC’s lack of a center was more glaring than ever here. Both Carl Anthony Towns and Rudy Goar feasted on the black hole that was the Thunder’s interior defense. They needed Ched Holmgrren back immediately. The Thunder didn’t have to go allin for a star player or make a splash in free agency. All they needed was time to develop their young players, and the wins would follow. The one and only offseason move that was noteworthy in 2023 was their drafting of Kase Wallace at the 10th pick, a defensive-minded 3D shooting guard who played some heavy minutes for the Thunder in the finals run, even starting it many times. All the pieces were coming together for OKC. What followed was a remarkably successful 2023-24 season. One that saw the Thunder win 57 games, their most in one year since the Kevin Durant days back in 2014. OKC kept climbing the ladder, going from a tanking team to average to now a contender. This jump was fueled mainly by SGA, who somehow got even better, improving as a player efficiency-wise, becoming a better playmaker, and taking initiative as the Thunder’s ultimate leader. His greatest moment this season came in a December 2023 game against the Denver Nuggets where he outdooled the MVP Nicole Joic, finishing off Denver in the closing seconds with a ridiculous midgame winner. Probing, spinning, hanging for the lead and knocks it down with just under a second to go. It was a shot that he had practiced thousands of times, which is why one of his teammates, Trey Man, on the bench celebrated before the shot went in. Another great moment came a few months later in March when against the Knicks in MSG. The Thunder came back from a double-digit deficit, then down by one, SGA nailed a miraculous turnaround fadeaway to win them the game. The mid-range shot was often shunned by many NBA analysts as a lowquality play, but for Sheay, it was his bread and butter, the signature part of his game. This shot against New York helped the Thunder clinch their first playoff appearance since 2020. In a season that saw OKC earn the first seed in the West. The Thunder’s elite record wasn’t just a product of SGA, though. Cadet Homegrren also made his grand return, performing well in his first year of play, finishing second in the Rookie of the Year race. The Twig had gone from missing the entire 2022 23 season to playing all 82 games the next, putting up an excellent statline of 16-8. Reaping the benefits of this successful year, coach Dagnel was rewarded for a stellar campaign with a coach of the year award, one that was given to him with an overwhelming vote. The Thunder weren’t just stacked roster-wise. Their front office and coaching staff were also among the NBA’s elite. Letting Billy Donovan walk back in 2020, especially after he had just made the postseason was a ballsy decision by Prestige. But it had all worked out. Coach Dagnold was the real deal. and a major reason behind the Thunder’s monumental success. They were finally back in the postseason, first sweeping the Pelicans in round one. Remember, just a year ago, these two squads were on equal footing, battling in the plan. One year later, the Pel still remained just as mid as ever, while OKC towered above them. It was a testament to how dominant their young core was. In round two, they ran into the Mavericks, led by the fat Slovenian, who didn’t realize he was about to get traded for half a bag of chips. This series was intense, being tied at two each through the first four games. Unfortunately for OKC though, rather than seizing this moment of Dallas vulnerability, they fell flat on their face and collapsed. In game five, they lost at home, shooting just 25% from three while everyone outside of SGA fell apart. In game six, they blew a 17-point lead, losing by the skin of their teeth thanks to PJ Washington’s two go-ahad free throws. A winnable series had been squandered and a harsh lesson had been taught to the young thunder. Opportunity is not a lengthy visitor. So when it comes knocking on the door, you must take advantage. OKC’s core was talented, yes, but they needed a few more pieces to help push them over the edge to achieve true contender status. First, they targeted defense, coming in the form of Alex Caruso, who they traded Josh Giddy for. Giddy had shown flashes over the years as a dynamic talent, but it became clear he just didn’t fit the team anymore. OKC preferred to have him play more of a limited role in which he came off the bench, while Giddy wanted to be a starter and get more touches. In return, the Thunder netted a former champion and one of the league’s most elite role players in Caruso. Yet another championship winning move by Sam Prey. Time and time again, Caruso would come up big on both offense and defense in crucial moments in the 2025 playoffs. OKC was still lacking in the paint though, a problem that had been their biggest weakness year in and year out. To fix this, they signed Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency, a Knicks big man who was an elite rebounder and playmaker. Not only would iHeart give the Thunder rebounding and a muchneeded big body in the paint, but he’d also serve as a player who provided offensive opportunities for others through his passing. With just two moves, OKC had patched up all of their team’s flaws. It was the perfect offseason. They had gotten two of the most coveted role players in the league. Now it was time to sit back and watch the show. The 2024 25 Thunder were not just the greatest team in their franchise’s history, but also one of the best in NBA history, period. They were unbelievably stacked. Whether it was Shay winning the MVP with another dominant season or JDub breaking into his first All-Star appearance in just year three with a 21 points per game average or Lou Dort earning first team all defense. OKC was killer good. The Thunder went 29-1 against Eastern Conference teams, setting an NBA record. They had the highest point differential of any team in NBA history, outscoring opponents on average by 12.87 points a game. Above all else though, the best thing this Thunder season gave us was the Shaora edit. If you know, you know. OKC’s team was like, if you and your homies made it to the NBA. All right, thanks guys. Congrat. [Music] The way they all crowded around each other in postgame interviews, supporting and dapping each other up was just fun to see. They were a true Gen Z team and they stood above all other squads in the West having 16 wins over the second seated Houston Rockets. Questions still remain though even after this dominant regular season. This Thundercore only had one playoff run under their belt as a unit. That’s a lack of experience that other squads could take advantage of. OKC dismantled all of their doubters though series by series. to get energized by OKC. In the first round, they faced the eight-seated Memphis Grizzlies, who they swept with ease. Game three was the most incredible win of them all. OKC came back from a 29point deficit on the road to win and take a commanding 3-0 lead. The comeback may have been assisted by a John’s injury, but it showed how the Thunder always stayed locked in, even when facing an intimidating deficit. In round two, they faced the Denver Nuggets. Sheay had just beaten out Nicole Joic for MVP honors and now he was ready to show exactly why he earned it. This series was back and forth with both sides splitting each of the first four games. If the Thunder weren’t careful, this series could end up being just like last year’s against Dallas where a perfectly winnable opportunity was squandered. But the Thunder learned from their mistakes of the past. In game five, they buried the Nuggets with a series of clutch threes from JDub and SGA. Kick D extra Williams on the way next Thunder lead by three. Then in game seven they destroy Denver blowing them out by 32. OKC’s defense shine bright here in this game seven. They forced Denver to 22 turnovers swarming them and making their life a living hell on offense. The addition of Hartinstein proved its worth. He and Chad starting in the front court made things extremely difficult for Nicole Joic. Then when they were subbed, Alex Caruso guarded the multipletime MVP and held it down, grabbing three steals of his own. For the first time since all the way back in 2016, the Thunder had made the Western Conference Finals. Up next, the Minnesota Timberwolves, who they eliminated in just five games. The turning point in this series came in game four. Were up 2-1 on the road. The Thunder executed perfectly down the stretch. The big three of Sheay, JDub, and Cadet combined for 95 points. They were so dominant that it reminded me of a different big three back in the day. After smashing the Timberwolves into concrete in game five, the Thunder had cemented themselves as Western Conference champions. The NBA finals awaited against a special Indiana Pacers opponent who had shocked the league with an unreal run of their own. Led by Tyrese Halleurn and his miraculous game winners, the four-seated Pacers had made it all the way to the finals because their entire team was shooting like the 2017 Warriors reincarnated. Oh, and they sold their soul, too. In game one, this Pacers hot stretch continued. In the fourth quarter, OKC blew a 15-point lead, capped off by a ridiculous game-winning jumper by Halleurn in the closing seconds. It was a shot that gave the Pacers their first lead of the game. It was an embarrassing showing by the heavily favored Thunder. Then, in game three, with the series tied, OKC no showed once again, again being outplayed in the fourth quarter and losing by nine. What made this loss especially frustrating was how self-inflicted it felt. Sloppy inbound passes and careless execution repeatedly burned them with TJ McConnell capitalizing time and time again. The biggest upset in the history of the NBA finals was on the brink of happening and the Thunder appeared to be on the other end of it. OKC was in a horrifying position. Now they had to go into Indiana down 2-1 and battle a win against a hungry Pacers team playing in front of a rowdy crowd. Three quarters into game four, the situation looked nothing short of catastrophic. The Pacers had a double-digit lead and appeared to be pulling away. Kicks it inside for largest lead of the game. But in this moment where they could have collapsed, a flip switched within the Thunder. They grew the heart of a champion. So, I’m of the mindset Indiana wins this game, there’s no way in hell they’re losing three straight. I think the winner of tonight’s game wins this series. Their defense tightened up and they forced a series of turnovers that stifled Indiana. Then on offense, SGA stepped up, drawing fouls and hitting tough jumpers to bring OKC back in front. Alexander in the drive pulls back baseline jumper. Good. OKC with their first lead of the second half. In the blink of an eye, the Thunder had gained control of the game and won. A dub that in all likelihood had saved their season. Then in game five, they comfortably won at home, led by JDub’s 40, who was doing this with a torn ligament in his wrist. By the way, just like that, the series had been flipped upside down. Indiana struck back though, blowing out the thunder in game six in a loss that saw OKC trail by as much as 31, their second biggest deficit of the season. We were getting our first finals game seven in 9 years. And what a series it had been. From Haliburn’s heroics to Sha’s clutch gene and from JDub’s 40point explosion to TJ’s game-changing steals, this had been one of the best NBA finals in recent memory. It all came down to a last game seven in Oklahoma City, which, let’s be honest, was antilimactic as hell. From game five onwards, Tyrese Halleburn had been dealing with a nagging calf injury that crippled his explosiveness. He had fought through it to help his squad, but in game seven, his Achilles finally popped, leaving him riding in pain on the floor. From this point on, the Thunder were unofficial champions. They took advantage of this unfortunate injury, crushing the demoralized Pacers with the second half onslaught, outscoring them by 14 in the third quarter and locking them up defensively. The Pacers, who had averaged 14 turnovers per game in the playoffs, lost the ball 21 times in this game. Dor, Caruso, and Kase Wallace all had three steals each, while Homegrren set a finals game seven record with five block shots. It was a smooth sailing victory. The Thunder were NBA champions. their first Finals win in franchise history. For the first time in 25 years, the same player won the regular season MVP, the scoring title, and now he’s your finals MVP, Shake Gilchis Alexander. SGA took home the finals MVP. A fitting reward for the player who was there from the beginning of the rebuild all the way till the end. He’s the reason why this rebuild was done so quickly. The hardest part about building a championship contender is finding the best player. From literally day one though, OKC had that. Shay just kept getting better and better every year, evolving into one of the best players in the league. Heights that no one ever expected him to reach. I even told Kawhai when he was saying like, “I need another guy.” Uh, and Kawhai will verify. I kept saying, you know, Kawhai Shay’s going to be a star, but how long? I said, I don’t know how long, but he’s going to be one. We saw it. We didn’t know it was gonna be this. No. Nobody knew. Yeah. No one No one knows that. All OKC had to do was field him a supporting cast and the wins would come in due time. Sam Prey deserves an incredible amount of credit as well. The Clippers trade requires no explanation for how amazing it was. But the other moves such as drafting JDub and Ched or signing Dor and Isaiah Joe or hiring Mark Dnult or bringing in Caruso and Hartenstein or acquiring, reviving, and later moving Chris Paul. All of it is worthy of praise. He no doubt deserved the 2025 executive of the year award. This championship was built off the back of his moves and quite frankly his lack of moves as well. Since 2019, the insistence for Pressie to go allin and trade his picks for a superstar was immense. Rather than submitting to the pressure though, he stayed focused on the growth of the young core and his trust in his players has reaped unbelievable benefits. Now he has a championship and his large stockpile of picks mostly remained intact, giving him added flexibility for future moves. Pure basketball genius. What made the Thunder victory so sweet here was all the troubles of the past they had to experience to get to this point. 13 years prior in 2012, they lost in the finals and five to the Miami Heat. Standing on the sidelines as the clock winded down were Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Kevin Durant. They were all under 23 years of age and NBA spectators of every kind believed they’d be back at one point or another to win a championship for Oklahoma City. They never ever got the chance to play with each other again. Though Harden was traded, KD and Russ failed. Durant stabbed the Thunder in the back and Westford got humiliated over and over again in the postseason. This squad’s failure was proof that nothing is ever guaranteed in the NBA. And that when the chance to win a championship presents itself, you must take it because your window can shut in the blink of an eye. For years, Thunder fans were left watching in agony as the thoughts of what could have been with this big three tortured them. That’s why OKC winning in 2025 is so sweet. For the entire franchise, it’s redemption. For Sam Prey, it’s a second chance. That young core may have failed, but this one didn’t. These guys brought home the trophy. They got the job done. And that is how the 2025 Oklahoma City Thunder completed the greatest rebuild of all time. [Music]

This is how the Oklahoma City Thunder completed the greatest rebuild of all time.

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Music List: https://pastebin.com/xWHvmDDA
Chapters:
00:00 – From bad to great
02:38 – The last dance
06:43 – Building
19:31 – Back in the playoffs
27:06 – The dream season