The Oklahoma City Thunder had a great regular season. It culminated with them finishing with the best point differential in NBA history. Their 12.9 point differential is the best in league history. The Thunder broke a record set by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers for the best point differential ever(12.28).
Oklahoma City finds itself in elite company on this list. The other teams were the 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks, 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, and 2016-2017 Golden State Warriors. The rest of the top five teams would go win the NBA Finals later that season. Will the Oklahoma City Thunder cap off a historic regular season with a title in two months?
Oklahoma City Thunder Season Summary
The Oklahoma City Thunder were led this year by MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He led the league in scoring during the regular season by a wide margin. Oklahoma City’s offense was great. They were fourth in points scored, seventh in field goal percentage, and sixth in three-point percentage. Gilgeous-Alexander’s running mate this year was Forward Jalen Williams. He averaged a career-high 21.6 points per game. He will look to keep it going in the NBA Playoffs.
Oklahoma City’s defense was also stellar. They were third in points allowed, the league leader in opposing field goal percentage, and the best team in the league at defending the three-pointer. The only issue standing behind Oklahoma City and a title is the team’s lack of experience. It is rare in the NBA for a team to make a jump from the Western Conference Semifinals to a championship. If OKC were to win the NBA Finals, they would be the youngest team in league history to do so.
Final Thoughts
Oklahoma City’s opponent in the Western Conference is unknown at the time of the publication. They will not know their opponent until the NBA Play-In Tournament concludes. The Thunder can play either the Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, or Dallas Mavericks in the opening round. Oklahoma City’s first playoff game will be at home on Sunday, April 20.
