The Oklahoma City Thunder have emerged as the 2025 Western Conference champions, paving their way to the NBA championship.
While it’s not official yet, they’ve shown their prowess by eliminating the Minnesota Timberwolves in a five-game conference final.
It’s clear to see where this is leading.
The Thunder were the superior team throughout the NBA’s regular season.
Their victory in the Western Conference was nothing short of dominant. Game 5 was a testament to their strength – a resounding 124-94 victory for the Thunder that left no room for question.
The Thunder have the ability to adapt to their opponent’s best style and outperform them. Whether it’s going big, going small, utilizing their bench depth, winning with offense, including the 3-pointer, or winning with defense and star power, the Thunder can do it better than any other team in the league.
Apologies to Indiana and New York, but this year just doesn’t seem to be yours.
Oklahoma City has made it to the Finals for the first time since 2012 and stands a strong chance to secure the franchise’s first title since 1979, back when it was based in Seattle and known as the SuperSonics.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault praised his team, saying, “They’re highly professional, consistently professional. They’re high character people. They come from high character circles, they’re unbelievably competitive.” He added, “They put the work in consistently, through the highs and lows, and most importantly, they prioritize the team. They embody everything it means to be a team, and they truly deserve this.”
“They deserve the opportunity that we have now. I couldn’t be more thrilled for them. They invest so much in their own games, but they also invest so much in each other and in the team. I believe it’s a truly rare thing in professional basketball that they’ve built,” Daigneault added.
While making sweeping statements can be risky, there’s no reason to doubt that the Thunder could be crowned NBA champions in the coming weeks.
It’s evident to all.
The Thunder, however, don’t want to hear it, and rightly so. Prior to Game 5, Daigneault emphasized the importance of staying in the present. That’s the correct mindset to have. The task at hand is what matters most. Achieving a goal is a sequence of accomplishments that demands unwavering focus.
It’s clear to everyone.
Despite being the No. 1 seed last season, this group hadn’t won more than one series and had been eliminated in the second round. This season’s playoffs saw them overcome some growing pains, learning valuable lessons in real time and figuring out how to seal victories and series.
For a team that had never clinched a conference finals, the Thunder dispelled any remaining doubts about their determination.
“When we’re faced with challenges that don’t typically arise during the regular season, like do-or-die moments, that’s when we really matured as a team,” Jalen Williams reflected. “That last series was a turning point for us. It was our first Game 7, and getting past the second round was a significant achievement.”
Their top-tier defense managed to slow down Nikola Jokic in the conference semifinals and put a stop to Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle in the conference finals. Daigneault and his coaching staff have the ability to devise and implement game plans, and they have the defenders to execute them, whether it’s blocking Jokic’s passing lanes or double-teaming Edwards.
If there were any doubts about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP status – and there shouldn’t have been – he dispelled them. He delivered an MVP-worthy performance in Game 5, scoring 34 points, making eight assists and seven rebounds – his seventh game with at least 30 points in his last eight. He scored a playoff career-high 40 points in Game 4 and averaged 31.4 points, shooting 45.7% for the series, earning him the Western Conference finals MVP.
“I had two goals,” Gilgeous-Alexander shared. “I didn’t want to travel back to Minnesota, and I wanted the fans to share in the moment with us. I wanted them to witness it firsthand. I wanted them to celebrate tonight in our building, go home, have a drink, whatever they do. I wanted them to enjoy the moment and yeah, it was good. I just wanted to make sure that above all I could give my energy and my effort to give these fans what they deserve.”
The Thunder are more than just a one-man team. Jalen Williams made his first All-NBA team this season, and Chet Holmgren is on track for an All-Star appearance with his scoring, rebounding, and rim-protecting abilities. Williams scored 19 points, made eight rebounds, five assists, one block, and one steal, while Holmgren scored 22 points, made seven rebounds and three blocks. Lu Dort delivered exceptional defense, and center Isaiah Hartenstein, an astute offseason signing, has added to Oklahoma City’s versatility.
Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe, Kenrich Williams, and Jaylin Williams provide Daigneault with more options.
They are improving with each game and series, appearing increasingly invincible
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