The Oklahoma City Thunder finished first in the stacked Western Conference with a record of 57-25. The Thunder are the youngest team in NBA history (23.9 years) to secure a No. 1 seed. Oklahoma City claims its sixth Northwest Division title and is the youngest team to win it. The Thunder are the youngest team in NBA history to win 55 games, per ESPN Stats & Information. Previous youngest? OKC’s 2010-11 squad.
Here are the final season stats for the Thunder and where they rank in the league:
| Stats | Rank | |
| Offensive Rating | 118.3 | 3rd |
| Defensive Rating | 111 | 4th |
| Net Rating | + 7.3 | 2nd |
| Half-Court Offensive Rating | 106.3 | 2nd |
| Half-Court Defensive Rating | 97.3 | 3rd |
| Points Per Game | 120.1 | 3rd |
| Field Goal Percentage | 49.9% | 3rd |
| Free Throw Percentage | 82.5% | 4th |
| Actual Shooting % | 60.8% | 2nd |
| Effective Field Goal % | 57.3% | 3rd |
| Fewest Turnovers Per Game | 12.7 | 7th |
| Steals Per Game | 8.5 | 1st |
| Blocks Per Game | 6.6 | 1st |
| Offensive Rating | 118.3 | 3rd |
| Defensive Rating | 111 | 4th |
| Net Rating | 7.3 | 2nd |
| Pace | 100.85 | 5th |
| Fast Break Points Per Game | 15.8 | 7th |
| Fast Break Points Allowed Per Game | 12.5 | 3rd |
| Points Off Turnovers Per Game | 20.5 | 1st |
| (Fewest) Points Off Turnovers Per Game | 14.8 | 3rd |
| Points In The Paint Per Game | 52.5 | 3rd |
| Points In The Paint (Allowed) Per Game | 47 | 3rd |
| Half-Court Offensive Rating | 106.3 | 2nd |
| Half-Court Defensive Rating | 97.3 | 3rd |
| Pick & Roll Offense | – | 2nd |
| Isolation Offense | – | 5th |
| Half-court Set Offense | – | 2nd |
| Spot-Up Offense | – | 4th |
| Pick & Roll Defense | – | 3rd |
| Isolation Defense | – | 1st |
| Half-court Set Defense | – | 4th |
| Spot-up Defense | – | 11th |
| Half-court Offense | – | 2nd |
| Half-court Defense | – | 2nd |
| 3-Point % | 38.9% | 1st |
| Steals | 8.5 | 1st |
| Blocks | 6.6 | 1st |
| Turnovers Forced | 15.7 | 1st |
| Contested FG | 47.4 | 1st |
| Points Off Turnovers | 20.5 | 1st |
| Bench 3-Point % | 40.3% | 1st |
These numbers are outliers for a team as young as this one. Many young teams in most of these categories are in the bottom half and need an identity. This doesn’t fit the criteria for this OKC team in the slightest.
They Show Up When It Matters Most
The Thunder have played in 38 games in the clutch. In those 38 games, they are 24-14 for a winning percentage of 63.2%, which places them fifth in that category. They do everything as a team on a game-to-game basis in the clutch. They score efficiently, shoot the ball well, and create turnovers. In a word, they are a well-oiled machine.
Part of this is because they have not one, not two, but three of the most efficient clutch performers. Of players who have taken 40 shots in the clutch (58 eligible players), Jalen Williams ranks #1 with 68.3%, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ranks #4 with 58.1%, and Chet Holmgren ranks 9th with 52.5%.
They Rise To The Occasion
Down the stretch of the season, you saw some juggernauts, or at least seemingly superior teams, get shocked and beaten by the league’s bottom feeders. However, when Shai and Dub returned from their injuries, this team did not play with their food, winning their last three games by 105 points.
The Thunder had the highest point differential in the Western Conference and 2nd highest in the league at +7.4. Compared to the other teams in the top 10, the Thunder has the best record against teams in the top 10, going 19-8.
There is one more reason.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Yes, Shai has had a particularly great season. He is the first player to do things only Michael Jordan and Steph Curry have done in an NBA season. Leads the league in 30-point games. He has the efficiency of a wing player as a guard. He is still just 25 years old. His previous playoff experience was a mixed bag, first as a rookie playing against the dynasty Warriors and then as a 3rd option on a makeshift Thunder playoff team. All these things can be true, and they are. But so is this.
Shai will come into these playoffs and dominate at every game stage.
He has set up this expectation. This is his coming out party and this is the stage where he needs to announce himself as not only a star or an up-and-coming player. No, bump that. This dude is a superstar with a transcendent talent, a unique skill set, and a demeanor that does not waver. This will be a statement, an announcement, a coronation, an alert, and a final notice that Shai is at the top of the league and isn’t going anywhere. He has arrived.
And just like Shai’s arrival, so will it be the Oklahoma City Thunder’s.
This team is built for the postseason. This roster is built for competition. This squad thrives in adversity.
They have every excuse not to win it all. They’re too young. They overachieved. They needed this loss. But all season long, this team has flipped the script on every excuse given to them.
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