(Credit: Justin Ford. Getty Images)
The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers in seven games to win the NBA Finals, winning Game 7 in Oklahoma City by a final score of 103-91. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named NBA Finals MVP, finishing with 29 points, five rebounds, 12 assists, one steal, and two blocks in the deciding game. It capped an off amazing season for the Thunder as they won their first championship in franchise history. The Seattle Sonics won an NBA championship back in the 1979, but that doesn’t really count. Especially since once Seattle gets a team, the colors, name, and history of the Seattle Sonics will be returned to the city in full.
Anyways, I digress. This was an historic championship for the Thunder and now the question is how many are in their future? Will this be the only one this group wins or are we looking a team that has the potential to win multiple? Given the fact that their average age is 25.6 years (the second youngest team to win an NBA title behind the 1977 Portland Trail Blazers), they have to like their odds of stringing together at least a couple more titles. So long as they keep their trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, & 6.4 assists), Jalen Williams (21.6 points & 5.3 rebounds), and Chet Holmgren (15.0 points & 8.0 rebounds), they should remain a dominant force in the NBA. They have a nice blend of inside and outside scoring while playing with a pace of play that is difficult to stop.
On top of that, Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning NBA regular season MVP. He was the best player in the game last season and at 27 years of age, he should have several more seasons of elite basketball ahead of him. When you have the best player in the game on your team, you are always difficult to stop.
The biggest question mark I think is how they’ll handle being the hunted. They kinda came out of nowhere to win the title. Next season, they’re going to have a target on their backs as the defending champions. They’re going to get everyone’s best effort and there’s going to be a more concerted effort to stop them. Some teams rise to the occasion and remain on top while others fall. It’s going to be fascinating to see how they handle that.
Regardless of what the future holds for the Thunder, they had a memorable championship run and brought a lot of joy to their city. They made history on multiple fronts and did so playing an exciting brand of basketball. That’s something that can never be taken away from them.
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