OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City captured the league's attention last season when it made its first jump to 16-1 in the second game of the play-in tournament. After a few seasons of young players pitching, the Thunder began to assemble a core group with huge potential and a wealth of future picks. But it seemed too soon for another leap forward, and too soon to add another 16 wins to his 40-42 record.
And this season, Oklahoma City surpassed last year by winning 17 more games. A year after appearing in the play-in tournament, the West Division-leading Thunder are still waiting to confirm their opponent in the same tournament.
It was a moment to celebrate. In the locker room, they recognized their accomplishments by handing out shirts that read “Northwest Region Champions,” a district that happens to be home to all three of the conference's top seeds. When asked what the team did in the locker room, Chet Holmgren unzipped his hoodie to reveal he was wearing the shirt underneath. “This is what it looks like,” he said, and he wore it for a team photo.
It was a quiet celebration, but still an acknowledgment of what they had accomplished. Even if not every player left wearing it.
When asked why he didn't wear the same shirt during his postgame press conference, Jaylen Williams replied with a smile: “This leather jacket is expensive.” “But I have four or five in my bag.”
With an average age of 23.9 years, Oklahoma City became the youngest team in NBA history to earn a No. 1 seed. But the Thunder were founded 20 years ago in a hurry to earn their place in the league, and have been here before. They had a young core punch that exceeded expectations, even if Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander wore designer sunglasses in the postgame press conference instead of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook's lensless frames. They built a young roster that seemed destined for dynastic success, only to watch it fail.
However, experiencing history is the only way to avoid being frightened by it. Even if most things have changed, there's no question that this iteration of the Thunder has the humility that comes with the franchise.
“We woke up Tuesday morning and we were 0-0,” Thunder manager Mark Daino said. “It's a new season. Everything we did in the regular season doesn't matter except for our opponents and our seeding. … We have a lot of respect for our opponents, but we're also going to go into it with a lot of respect for ourselves. ”
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Thunder's return to the NBA playoffs is an earlier-than-scheduled appearance, not an appearance.
