"Oklahoma City Thunder: 2025 NBA Champions"

The NBA Finals have concluded after what appeared to be "boring" 
turned into one of the better Finals in recent memory. Oklahoma City 
Thunder capped off an 68 win season with confetti and hoisting their 
first Larry O' Brien Trophy. A team who was often compared to Michael 
Jordan's Chicago Bulls and being among the best to ever do it. But for 
OKC, this was years in the making. 

Oklahoma City defeated the Indiana Pacers in game seven Sunday 
night 103-91; in dominant fashion. League MVP and Finals MVP Shai 
Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge and everyone else followed. This 
wasn't about one player, but an organization in a small market which 
has everyone on notice.

Back to how we got here: SGA was the focal point of OKC's rebuild in 
2019, after being traded from the Los Angeles Clippers in a blockbuster 

deal which sent Paul George to LA for a young point guard in Gilgeous- 
Alexander. Stockpiling picks and drafting really well, general manager 

Sam Presti deserves his flowers. 

Presti was a young general manager when he hit on the former
superstars in Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden; that
team overachieved and made the Finals in 2012. Losing to Miami with
LeBron James spearheading a Heat team against the "Baby Thunder," it
let Presti know Oklahoma City wasn't ready.

In the years that followed, superstars players left, traded and
replenishing the cabinet led to this very moment. Winning their first title
and guys who enjoy winning as a team. Unselfish players who bought
into an old school style of basketball with potent offense and suffocating

defense. There's not too many teams who'll use this blueprint for
success.

With the Thunder, expectations come with winning championships.
Accomplishing this will have many ups and downs; via great teams of
championship galore. In a very stacked western conference, they'll be
the overwhelming favorite in 2026. A roster of young talent and building
a winning culture is contagious. Having picks galore and house money
to play with is a bonus.

SGA is the cornerstone player Presti will build around; they can lose
players in free agency and have the ability to plug and play. Oklahoma
City isn't appealing to free agents, but drafting and developing their
homegrown talent pays dividends. In a league where teams retool and
make aggressive moves, OKC will stay the course and run it back until
they hit their ceiling. They'll be cream of the crop and other teams will
attempt dethroning them from going back to back. This Finals was a win
for the Midwest region and small markets teams. You can laugh but
hey... It happened in 2025!