Thunder finally overcome the hole the Warriors put them in back in 2016

There’s a new champ in town: how OKC reincarnated after being demolished in Golden State’s path of destruction and finally achieved their dream deferred.

Seven years ago, I wrote what might have been the most ruthless obituary in sports journalism history. The piece was titled “Path of Destruction: The Warriors are the Thunder’s dream realized,” and I didn’t just bury Oklahoma City ladies and gentlemen. I cremated them, scattered the ashes, and salted the earth for good measure.

Looking back at those words now, after watching Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy in Oklahoma City, I’m experiencing something between amusement and appreciation. Because the Thunder proved that sometimes the most devastating losses create the most beautiful redemptions.

From the top, to the bottom, to the top

Don’t forget that the Thunder had Durant, Westbrook, and Harden all at once. Their 2012 NBA Finals trip ended in defeat to the LeBron-Wade-Bosh Heat, but with youth on their side and a fascinating complement of athleticism and skills, it seemed only a matter of time before the Thunder ruled the West.

Instead OKC fumbled away a once-in-a-generation collection of talent through cost-cutting and poor timing. Oh, and the rise of the Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors built their dynasty by doing everything OKC couldn’t: keeping their core together, adding complementary pieces, and maintaining championship-level chemistry. The Dubs won their first title of the Stephen Curry era in 2015, and the roared back from a 3-1 deficit against the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals to eliminate OKC. When the Dubs blew their own 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals, they got the best consolation prize possible: Kevin Durant, OKC’s MVP.

At the time I wrote this flaming masterpiece, the Warriors had just captured their third title in four years, Kevin Durant was Finals MVP for the second straight season, and the Thunder were stuck in first-round purgatory with Russell Westbrook chasing triple-doubles like they were going out of style. I called them “bitter jabronis” whose best player had defected to join the very team that eliminated them. Savage? Absolutely. But it felt justified at the time.

“The Warriors are the living, breathing incarnation of the dream the Thunder had six years ago,” I wrote back then, twisting the knife with surgical precision.

Fast-forward to this year, and I’m watching Shai Gilgeous-Alexander become just the fourth player in NBA history to average 30+ points per game for a championship team. His 32.0 points and 6.4 assists per game weren’t just elite folks, they were historically efficient, with a 62.2% true shooting percentage that ranks as the highest mark among the 24 instances where players averaged 32+ over 80+ games.

The Thunder’s 84-21 overall record tied the 1996-97 Bulls for third-most wins in a single season. Their point differential of +11.8 per game ranks fourth all-time, and they set the NBA record with 12 wins of at least 30 points. This wasn’t just a championship season. It was a statement about what patient, intelligent team-building looks like when everything aligns.

But here’s what gets me: this Thunder team embodies everything I value about championship basketball. They weren’t flashy or dramatic. They were suffocating on defense, registering 10.7 steals per 100 possessions in the playoffs, apparently the most for any team that played beyond the first round in 26 years.

Sam Presti, their GM since 2007, played the longest of long games. After trading away Westbrook and Paul George in 2019, he accumulated draft capital like a man possessed. The core of Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams wasn’t built through flashy free agency signings. It was crafted through smart trades, patient development, and an understanding that sustainable excellence requires time.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s Finals MVP performance was the perfect capstone: 30.3 points per game in the Finals while becoming the first player in 25 years to win regular-season MVP, scoring title, and Finals MVP in the same season. That’s the kind of individual brilliance wrapped in team success that creates dynasties.

From Jabronis to Champions

The most humbling part of this entire experience is recognizing that my 2018 piece, while technically accurate at the time, missed the deeper truth about what the Thunder were building. I saw the immediate failure and wrote off their long-term potential. I assumed that small-market teams couldn’t recover from losing generational talent, especially when that talent joined their primary rivals.

But championship windows aren’t just about talent. They’re about timing, development, and organizational patience. They didn’t just replace Durant, Westbrook, and Harden; they built something more sustainable around a player who embodies both individual excellence and team-first mentality.

At 25.6 years old on average, this Thunder team is the second-youngest championship squad in NBA history. They have 10 first-round picks over the next five drafts, creating a foundation that could support multiple championship runs. Is this more than a one year wonder?

The Thunder’s championship isn’t just vindication for their fans, it’s a victory parade to the top of the mountain for all of their long suffering supporters. Although not the Seattle ones probably.

I gotta admit Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t just win a championship; he authored one of the great individual seasons in NBA history while leading his team to the pinnacle of basketball excellence. They proved that sometimes the most beautiful redemptions come from the ashes of complete destruction.

That’s championship-level storytelling, both on and off the court. Now it’s time for the Warriors to repeat history and trade for SGA and have Draymond Green berate him into unlocking another level of greatness!