We can officially say that the Oklahoma City Thunder’s season is on track to be historic. They have tied the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors as the only two teams in NBA history with just one loss after the first 25 games. The Thunder achieved this feat in a somewhat dramatic fashion, with a crushing 49-point victory over the Suns, the largest margin so far this season, to secure their ticket to Las Vegas and play the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Cup semifinals tomorrow, December 13th.
OKC Joins Exclusive List of Multi-Season Dominance
Oklahoma City’s dominance has occurred without their projected starting five playing a single minute together this year, suggesting their ceiling for success is even higher. Over the last two seasons, OKC is currently tied with the Boston Celtics (125 wins) for the most wins in the NBA. However, unlike Boston, who finished second in the East last season behind Cleveland, the Thunder have finished as the first seed in their conference during this period.
It seems almost certain, even with many games left, that OKC will again finish as the first seed in the West this season, which would place them on an elite historical list of only four teams considered NBA dynasties:
- The 1980-1982 and 1984-1988 Boston Celtics: Led by Larry Bird and Robert Parish, winning three of five Finals appearances in that span.
- The 1982-1990 Los Angeles Lakers: With Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who won four of their eight Finals appearances in that span.
- The 1996-1998 Chicago Bulls: With Michael Jordan, winning the second three-peat of that dynasty.
- The 2015-2017 Golden State Warriors: The last living dynasty of the NBA, who won two championships and set the single-season record of 73-9 wins-the very record OKC is aiming to achieve this year.
Placing themselves on the same list as these teams is a testament to sustained success, and the Thunder’s excellent work is truly bearing fruit. What they are achieving is extraordinary, even if they aren’t in a large market like the other four franchises.
Thunder Vegas Showdown with Potential Early Finals Preview
To continue this great start, the Thunder must overcome the Spurs in the NBA Cup semifinal. The Spurs will likely have Victor Wembanyama back for the game, which would make the matchup even more entertaining. The winner of this game will face the Eastern Conference winner, either the Orlando Magic or the New York Knicks, on Tuesday, December 16th, also in Las Vegas. If it were to be a Knicks vs. Thunder final, we could be looking at an early preview of the NBA Finals, though there is still a long way to go in this season.
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