1 month ago
The NBA has not seen a reigning champion return its title defense arsenic acold arsenic nan convention finals, fto unsocial hoist a 2nd consecutive Larry O’Brien trophy, since nan Golden State Warriors were trim disconnected astatine the ankle and calf by nan Toronto Raptors successful nan 2019 Finals. That’s 7 consecutive seasons successful which parity has ruled supreme, for amended aliases for worse, and dynastic runs look fated to beryllium a point of nan past.
Not if 1 squad successful America’s heartland has thing to opportunity astir it. The Oklahoma City Thunder embark connected these 2026 playoffs successful hunt of historical greatness, trends beryllium damned. And little than 2 weeks earlier nan first crippled of nan postseason tips off, you’d beryllium difficult pressed to find substantive grounds to judge their extremity won’t beryllium achieved.
Oklahoma City will beryllium nan No 1 seed successful nan bloodbath that is nan NBA’s Western Conference for nan 3rd consecutive twelvemonth this season. The past clip a squad has accomplished this peculiar feat, 3 consecutive years atop their conference? That aforementioned Warriors outfit (in 2017). And it’s rarefied aerial successful NBA history successful general: nan only different teams to clasp down nan apical spot that long, respectively, are nan creme de la creme: nan Celtics and Lakers’ apical rosters successful their storied histories, and nan Jordan Bulls. Every squad pinch this accomplishment vanished pinch nan ultimate accomplishment: an NBA championship.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, MVP frontrunner for nan 2nd consecutive year, besides exists successful rarefied aerial astatine nan moment. He has nan imaginable to person some convention MVP and NBA Finals MVP honors successful consecutive years. If he does, he’d beryllium nan first to do it since LeBron James successful 2012 and 2013. A large portion of Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP lawsuit – and why he’s heavy favored to triumph nan grant again this play – comes down to his hyperreliable efficiency, thing of which moreover James himself has taken note. Of nan Thunder prima on nan astir caller section of his Mind nan Game podcast, James said: “That’s 1 of nan things I emotion astir Shai – for him to play connected nan perimeter arsenic overmuch arsenic he does, successful nan midrange arsenic overmuch arsenic he does, and still beryllium arsenic ace businesslike arsenic he is? It’s Jordan-esque, for sure.”
But there’s a reason, of course, that nary squad has successfully mounted a title defense since nan 2017-18 Warriors. It’s really difficult to do, and progressively truthful arsenic nan convention has go much and much talented, and arsenic nan expertise to upwind nan warfare of attrition quality of nan playoffs has go paramount. The intelligence and beingness toll of an 82-game regular-season grind surely doesn’t get immoderate easier to muddle done aft a championship, and nan only Thunder pinch acquisition successful that peculiar arena, seasoned defender Alex Caruso, knows that each excessively well. I inquire him what proposal he had, if any, for his younger compatriots this summer, heading into a title defense.
“Really conscionable trying to enactment present. Each twelvemonth is simply a different squad successful nan league,” he says. “I tried to show them conscionable enactment present, bask nan infinitesimal pinch nan squad we person now, because it’s not guaranteed that you get to effort and play for a title aliases play connected a awesome squad each azygous year.”
What astir nan earthy lag successful urgency that seems almost inevitable erstwhile you’ve submitted nan mountaintop?
“You conflict quality quality a small spot done nan regular season,” he tells me. “But erstwhile nan postseason starts, it’s benignant of do-or-die, and that mentality, that feeling, is beautiful easy to pursuit again.”
It’s worthy noting that different notch successful nan “Oklahoma City will repeat” file is that, by each accounts, nan young bucks connected nan squad didn’t moreover really request overmuch cajoling erstwhile it came to maintaining their attraction passim a long, arduous season. I inquire caput coach Mark Daigneault astir nan unsocial situation that a title defense presents, and really he’s steered his unit done it.
“This team, to beryllium honorable pinch you – it is simply a agelong play and it is simply a grind, but this is simply a squad that genuinely enjoys being astir 1 another,” he says. “The infinitesimal they get together connected nan bus, it seems that their power goes up. When they’re together successful believe aliases shoot-around, their power goes up. Even successful games, they summation power by being astir each other, and they’ve benignant of ever been for illustration that. So, that’s been a value that’s existed independently of context.”
Daigneault besides emphasizes that he encourages players not to moreover see nan play a “defense”, per se. “We’ve tried to look astatine it arsenic a caller season, that started from scratch,” he tells maine successful Los Angeles. “Last twelvemonth was great, nary one’s taken that distant from us, but it’s besides over. And we’ve tried to look astatine this play arsenic a caller blank canvas that we’ve had to overgarment on, aliases immoderate you will. So, they’ve done a awesome occupation of that, and we’ve been capable to play beautiful accordant hoops passim nan play arsenic a result.”
The Thunder aren’t repetition champions yet – that’s why you play nan games, arsenic they say. But betwixt their level heads, stellar leadership, youth, athleticism and skill, they are arsenic primed arsenic immoderate squad successful caller NBA history to get nan occupation done.
