Even though the Denver Nuggets are still my favorite NBA team, in a gesture of immense sportsmanship…. I’m going to play the song for the WORLD CHAMPION OKC THUNDER this Monday morning.
I want to write this first about the Indiana Pacers and Tyrese Haliburton though before I touch on my observations about this incredible journey this group of Thunder players just completed. I want to tell the Pacers…thank you. Thank you for giving all of us NBA fans one helluva show these past two weeks.
If Tyrese hadn’t gone down in the first period I’m fairly certain this Game 7 would have ended with a dramatic finish given Tyrese came out smoking hot hitting three threes in a row. But alas, this night was not meant to be for the Pacers. It was meant for the Oklahoma City Thunder as they put the finishing touches on one of the most remarkable turnarounds. in NBA history.
I believe it was 2019 when Dame Lillard’s dagger ended the Russell Westbrook-Paul George era in OKC. Then the Presti deathwalk somewhat began. Paul George to the Clippers. Russell to the Houston Rockets and then you knew it was going to be bad when Jeremy Grant was traded as well. That was when MJ cried.
The funny thing is though..the deathwalk took a one year pause as the Thunder ended up with Chris Paul, the German minimalist Dennis Schroeder, and a young player from the Clippers named Shai. That team was actually so fun to watch the deathwalk master Sam Presti didn’t have the heart to ship off Chris Paul just then and the Thunder made it to the Bubble Playoffs where the Thunder lost to Harden and Westbrook.
No more fun for Thunder Nation the next two years as the Thunder won 22 games and 24 games with the low point being a 71 point road loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. I think it was about this time MJ’s flirtations with the Denver Nugget began since in my mind the Thunder had ceased playing legitimate NBA basketball games.
Also keep in mind…I think it would be very weak of me to now jump back on the Thunder bandwagon. And the truth of the matter is…if Giannis ends up with Steph and the Warriors finally get rid of Draymond…the Thunder could in theory fall down to my third favorite NBA team. BTW…if Giannis ends up with Steph, and the Nuggets address their depth issue..those are the two teams in the West I could see being the most formidable challenge to the Thunder in the West next season.
But the Thunder will be overwhelming favorites to repeat.
So here we are circa June, 2025 and the Thunder are world champs and I own a domain named okcthunderground.com. Since the local coverage of the Thunder is so woeful and feeble…MJ thinks he’ll stick around next season and still cover the defending champs on his blog…as a service of sorts to NBA fans in the market who need more than the sychophantic drudgergy created by the Presti machine.
I’ll watch the parade tomorrow and in a sense treasure it thinking back on all of my good memories associated with the Thunder.
This is one hell of a story. Nothing like it in NBA history with the possible exception of the ’77-’78 Portland Trailblazers.
Thunder Nation…enjoy the parade. You earned it. Smell the roses.
Mike J