The Oklahoma City Thunder Are NBA Champions

By Owen Pannell | KZA Sports

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City Thunder are NBA champions.

As a lifelong Thunder fan, this just feels unbelievable, man. We’ve been through so, so, so many ups and downs as a franchise, but now—it’s all worth it. I, along with many other fans, was in tears when we finally brought it home.

This is the most special sports moment of my life—and I know it is for many of y’all too.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is undoubtedly our franchise GOAT, and he’s not done yet. He has a real chance to become the NBA’s all-time GOAT. The Thunder were the best team all year long, and finishing it off with a championship is the perfect ending.

Shai was great all year. Dub was phenomenal and took a massive step forward. Lu Dort was arguably the best perimeter defender in the sport. Chet Holmgren missed most of the year due to injury, but when he played, he was special. And the depth? It was just INSANE. We had an unlimited number of guys to throw at you who could contribute to winning basketball.

Whether it was Aaron Wiggins dropping 40 bombs, Kenrich Williams going all-out with hustle, Alex Caruso being the best role player in the NBA, or Jaylin Williams constantly hyping up and motivating the team—everyone mattered. After all Thunder fans have been through, we deserve this team. It’s such a special group, and it’s going to be hard to replicate.

The good news? We can bring most of them back. But it’ll probably never feel exactly the same as it does right now.

I’ll have deeper thoughts about the Thunder being champions another time—but for now, I’m just going to enjoy being a fan sitting on top of the NBA.

Postgame Report – OKC

None of this really matters—we won the final game of the season and are officially champions—but if you want to read the breakdown, here you go.

Let’s start with SGA. He looked incredible tonight, getting the shots he wanted and being an elite playmaker. He took 12 threes—which is almost unbelievable—and only hit two. His efficiency wasn’t great, but he got the job done.

As a team, the Thunder attempted 40 threes, which is exactly what they needed to do to take down the Pacers.

Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace were great off the bench tonight. They knocked down some threes, which was exactly what OKC needed. But the defense was the key to victory. The Thunder held Indiana to just 91 points (yes, I know Tyrese Haliburton didn’t really play), forced 21 turnovers, and never let the Pacers offense get into rhythm.

They couldn’t stop TJ McConnell or Bennedict Mathurin—but it all worked out in the end.

THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER ARE NBA CHAMPIONS!!!!

Postgame Report – Indiana

The Pacers had a phenomenal season. I’m just heartbroken over what happened to Tyrese Haliburton.

This team was special. They never stopped fighting and always believed they could win. They had one of the most magical playoff runs in NBA history.

Without their star, they had a low chance to win tonight—so I don’t blame them for the loss. But they did not give up. TJ McConnell was absolutely insane in the third quarter, and Mathurin was electric in the fourth.

OKC was the better team, though. And in my opinion, they deserved to win.

Sure, maybe it could have turned out differently if Haliburton didn’t get injured. But that doesn’t take away from how incredible this Pacers run truly was.

There’s not much else to say about the gameplay itself—OKC just outmatched them.

A Moment Years in the Making

For Thunder fans, this is more than a title—it’s validation.

After Kevin Durant’s departure. After the Russell Westbrook era ended. After rebuilding year after rebuilding year. After missing out on lottery picks and playing the long game—it all paid off.

“This is a special group,” the fan added. “It’ll be hard to replicate. The good news is we can bring most of them back, but it’ll never be exactly like this again.”

For now, though, Oklahoma City isn’t thinking about tomorrow.

They’re just basking in the moment. NBA champions. At last.

Find Owen Pannell here.

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