Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became the third MVP in Oklahoma City Thunder history after Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. However, while the city cherishes SGA and his achievements, recent history suggests that the MVP award might not be a good sign of their championship aspirations.
SGA’s MVP Can Spell Trouble for Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder had the best record in the league, and now they have the MVP this season. But recent history suggests that winning an MVP is far from a guarantee to win a championship, let alone make the NBA Finals.
We have to go back to the 2014-15 season, when Steph Curry won his first regular-season MVP award, and the Golden State Warriors won the title. Since then, no regular season MVP has won the title. And dating back to the 2015-16 season, no regular season MVP has made it to the Finals. That was the year the Warriors won 73 games, but fell in seven games to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In the last several years, teams with the MVP player have won the title after their superstar claimed his individual awards. For example, Giannis Antetokounmpo won back-to-back MVP trophies in 2019 and 2020, but his team won the title in 2021. Nikola Jokic won back-to-back MVPs in 2021 and 2022, but his team won the title in 2023.
Thunder’s MVP History
If we focus only on Thunder players and the year they won the MVP award, both KD and Russ failed to make the Finals the year they won it. When Kevin Durant won the MVP in the 2013-14 season, the Thunder lost in the Western Conference Finals to the San Antonio Spurs. When Westbrook won it for the 2016-17 season, OKC lost to the Houston Rockets in the first round. SGA will have a chance to take the team to the NBA Finals as the MVP if they beat the Minnesota Timberwolves three more times.
SGA’s MVP More Fuel for Anthony Edwards
Here is another interesting fact. Last year, Anthony Edwards eliminated the league’s MVP in the Western Conference Semifinals. The Denver Nuggets had Jokic, but they fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves in seven games, despite being the favorites.
This year, Edwards has a chance to knock out another MVP, and the favorite to win the championship. Judging by Game 1, the Thunder are in the driver’s seat for the series. But playoff series are long and anything can happen from one game to another.
The Thunder Can Replicate GSW’s Success
The Golden State Warriors won 67 games during the 2014-15 season, the first year Steve Kerr took over as a head coach. Curry won the regular season MVP, but he was not the Finals MVP. This Thunder’s team looks a lot like the 2014 Warriors. They have one great superstar and plenty of role players that chip in. The 2015 Warriors’ mantra was “strength in numbers”. And that worked for them as they beat the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James in the NBA Finals. The 2025 Thunder have a similar formula and another superstar point guard. Can SGA break the cycle of MVPs not making it to the Finals or winning the championship? Let’s wait and see.
Photo credit: © Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
