The Oklahoma City Thunder have been very impressive this year, going 27-5 in the first 32 games of the season. Coming into this year, everyone knew the Thunder would be good, but not this good. With the Thunder’s win over the Timberwolves, the Thunder have won 12 games in a row, tying a franchise record. They are one win away from beating another record this year. If they beat the Clippers on Thursday, January 2nd, they will have the most consecutive wins in Thunder history. This would be the second record they broke, as the first one was getting out to a 7-0 start, which was the best start the Thunder ever had.
The Thunder have been doing this mainly behind the dominance of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA is averaging 31.3 points per game while shooting 52.8% from the field and 35% from three. He just put in another MVP-caliber performance against the Timberwolves, dropping 40 points, which is the fourth time he has done that this year. Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards even took notice of his game and had this to say after the game.
“The MVP of the NBA… he’s unguardable.. I feel liked he should have won it last year.”
Today we are going to break down what breaking this franchise record means for this Thunder team moving forward.
The Thunder are on the Verge of Breaking the Franchise Win Streak Record
Thunder Have Been Doing This With All Their Injuries
The most impressive thing from the Thunder this year isn’t SGA having another MVP Caliber year or them having the number one ranked defense. It is that the Thunder have been this good and on the verge of breaking two franchise records without being 100% healthy this whole season. Chet Holmgren has missed multiple games due to injury, Isaiah Hartenstein has missed games due to injury, as well as Alex Caruso. It’s not like the Thunder have had unimpactful players miss games, these are all impactful players. However, they have still been this good, posting the second-best overall record in the NBA, and can potentially break two franchise records, with the other being the best record in franchise history.
Is This The Best Team in Thunder History?
The Thunder have had some pretty good teams over the past years. Whether you talk about the Russell Westbrook–Kevin Durant years or even the Westbrook and Paul George years, however, this Thunder team is on the verge of breaking two records that the Westbrook and Durant duo set. Now the question becomes, is this the best team in Thunder history? The short answer to that is no, that title still belongs to the 2011-2012 team that went to the Finals. Even the 2015-2016 team that lost in the Western Conference Finals and blew the 3-1 lead is still ahead of them.
However, that doesn’t mean this team doesn’t have the potential to become the best. They have done everything right and are on pace to do things that the 2011-2012 team never did. Ultimately, it is too early to give this year’s Thunder team the crown until we see how they perform in the playoffs. If this team makes the NBA Finals and can break two franchise records along the way, then they will become the best in franchise history.
It’s Finals or Bust Time
After the Thunder lost to the Dallas Mavericks last year in the playoffs, the Thunder have just wanted to get better for this year as they are still a young team. Coming into this year, it wasn’t finals or bust, as the goal was just to improve by making a deeper run in the playoffs. This was even after they made all of their big moves in free agency However, with how this season has gone and how good they look, plus another season of them looking ahead of schedule on their rebuild, it is time for this season to be called finals or bust.
At the beginning of this year, if you said the Thunder would improve from last year but lose in the Western Conference Finals, you would be ok with that because they improved, and next year would be the year. Usually, it takes a core in the NBA around two or three times in the playoffs before they make that big finals push. Furthermore, with how this season has gone, if the Thunder don’t at least make the NBA Finals, let alone win it, it will be a disappointing year for this Thunder team.
Last Word on Thunder-Breaking Franchise Record
The Thunder have been incredible all year, and the rest of the NBA should be concerned, especially since they are this good and haven’t been 100% healthy at all this season. This Thunder team being on the verge of breaking two franchise records will be a great accomplishment for this young team and the rebuild. However, for this team to go down as the best in the franchise or even as one of the best teams in the NBA ever, they need to win the NBA Finals. If they don’t, it will be a big disappointment for how good this team has the potential to be.
