The Oklahoma City Thunder capped off their dominant season by winning their first NBA Championship in the organization's young history. While the Indiana Pacers made a magical run, the Thunder were the best team on paper throughout the season.
They finished the regular season as the No. 3 team in terms of offensive efficiency and as the No. 1 team in defensive efficiency. That being said, it should've come as little to no surprise to see the Thunder finish with the NBA's best record, which earned them home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. That proved crucial after the Pacers forced a Game 7.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Alex Caruso has strong words for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after Thunder's title win
It also helped that the Thunder had the best player in the league this season in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. After finishing second in the MVP voting the season prior, he took his game to another level, leading the league in scoring with a career-high 32.7 points per game. Some players see their numbers dip significantly once in the playoffs, particularly the NBA Finals, but he maintained a scoring average of 30.3 per game and took home the Finals MVP award.
Gilgeous-Alexander's veteran teammate, Alex Caruso, played a significant role in the Thunder's win. While his scoring numbers fluctuated, his defensive intensity and hustle remained consistent. Following the Thunder's NBA Finals win, Caruso had strong words for the Finals MVP on the Pat McAfee show.
"SGA is strictly business when it comes to basketball and that business for him is winning..." Caruso said. "His competitive fire is second to none. ... All he wants to do is play basketball."
The Thunder are now at the top of Everest. The challenge now becomes whether or not they'll do what's necessary to get back there next year or in the near future. Fortunately, the Thunder's roster will look identical to this year's team, so they're already poised to make a deep run next season.
DraftKings Sportsbook pegs the Thunder as heavy favorites ahead of next season at +225, an implied probability of 30.77%. The next closest team on the odds board is the Houston Rockets at +750, an implied probability of 11.76%. If the Thunder can stay healthy, they'll likely remain the favorites throughout the season.