The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the best teams of all time, that much is certain. Led by MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder are 64-12, and if they win out, they could crack the rare 70-game benchmark.
On top of that, the Thunder are young and have plenty of assets to improve in the coming seasons. However, it's hard to imagine them, or anyone else, getting much better than they are right now.
Their dominance begs a question: are they the best NBA team ever?
Their offensive rating of 120.3 is the fifth-best ranking ever, and their defensive rating of 107.0 is the best since the 2019-20 Milwaukee Bucks. Their net rating is more than three points higher than the second-place Cleveland Cavaliers.
"They've outscored their opponents by 1,018 points. In the 79-year history of the NBA, do you know how many teams finished with a point differential of plus 1,003?" asked ESPN's Mike Greenberg. "Every one of them is basketball royalty. They are the '70-'71 Bucs. The team was led by league MVP Lew Alcindor. The following year, the '71-'72 Lakers. They won 69 games. They were led by Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West. Then, of course, the legendary '95-'96 Bulls. They won 72 games, and they had the league MVP in Michael Jordan. All three of those teams won the title in those years, by the way, and they lost a combined eight playoff games along the way."
The Thunder certainly could have the best season in NBA history and are on the way to boast the best points differential ever, but it's impossible to crown a team the best until the job is finished.
The 73-win Golden State Warriors were unable to win the title, and it held them back from entering the discussion. For the Thunder, the ball is in their court but the job needs to end with a championship.
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This story was originally published April 3, 2025 at 12:08 PM.