The Oklahoma City Thunder have checked off another major milestone in their title defense, officially locking up the No. one seed in the Western Conference, and home-court advantage throughout the postseason.
It marks the third straight year the Thunder have claimed the West’s top spot, placing them among some of the most elite teams in NBA history.
That consistency isn’t lost on reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who made it clear that while the achievement matters, it’s only part of the bigger picture.
“It’s impressive,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Obviously, none of it means anything if you don’t win in the end, and you know that. But teams that win in the end have some of the same characteristics and traits and check off the same boxes.
“So checking off those boxes is kind of just like knowing we’re headed in the right direction. Obviously, we’re far from the finish line of where we want to go, but like I said, it lets us know we’re heading right there.”
Head coach Mark Daigneault pointed to the group’s mindset as the driving force behind their sustained success.
“It’s a great accomplishment,” Daigneault said. “No two seasons are the same, and this season was a lot of different experiences. We obviously started really hot and then dealt with a lot of missed games, especially in the middle of the season. We felt like two months we were enduring that. And this team, when you win the championship, that kind of hangs over you as a team the next year. Meaning everybody, including ourselves, you judge yourself against that.
“It’s incredibly hard to be present in the next regular season. I learned so much from this team because of their ability to come in every day and just embrace the day and the challenge that we had that day and not look backwards, not look forwards and just attack every challenge together with a level of zest and joy is really impressive. And it’s why I think we had the season we did.”
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