Just when the Los Angeles Lakers started playing their best basketball of the series, the Oklahoma City Thunder managed to squeeze out a victory on the road. Of all the games they played in the West Semis, Game 4 was expected to be the hardest. It’s always a tough job to close a series on the road. But with a masterclass from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, massive buckets from Ajay Mitchell, and clutch plays from Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City has its ticket punched for the 2026 Western Conference Finals.
With OKC’s Lakers sweep now complete, it’s time to examine the impressive and historic feats the defending champions have notched.
OKC Thunder Sweep LA Lakers En Route To Historic Feats
Amid all the noise in celebration of their success, there are a few landmarks that the Thunder have reached with this win.
Making It Out The Second Round
While they were the clear favorites to win, history wasn’t exactly on OKC’s side in their second round series. For starters, no defending champion had made it out of the second round since the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors, who made it all the way to the 2019 NBA Finals. After defeating the Warriors in those Finals, the Toronto Raptors lost to the Boston Celtics in the 2020 Eastern Conference Semis.
In 2020, the Lakers beat the Miami Heat to win their 17th NBA championship, but lost in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs. The Milwaukee Bucks would go on to win the 2021 NBA championship before being bounced in the second round the next year. In 2022, the Golden State Warriors won it all but couldn’t make it past L.A. in the Western Conference Semifinals. Instead, the Denver Nuggets took the Larry O’Brien Trophy home. The next year, the Nuggets lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round, though it would be the Boston Celtics who felt the confetti drop.
Now, that’s a long history of defending champions failing to repeat.
The fact that there’s no team that has gone back-to-back as champions aside from Golden State says a lot about this Thunder squad.
More history for OKC!
The Thunder become just the 11th team ever to start a Playoffs 8-0 🔥
2017 GSW (15-0)
2001 LAL (11-0)
1989 LAL (11-0)
2017 CLE (10-0)
2016 CLE (10-0)
2012 SAS (10-0)
1982 LAL (9-0)
2010 ORL (8-0)
2009 CLE (8-0)
2005 MIA (8-0)
2026 OKC (8-0)NBA Playoffs… pic.twitter.com/DHXS3XAjwP
— NBA (@NBA) May 12, 2026
Oklahoma City is also now the 11th team to start the NBA Playoffs at 8-0. This just shows their elite dominance on the floor. No team has made it look as easy as the Thunder so far, and they’re still without one of their top stars in Jalen Williams. While there are no official updates on his return from his Grade 1 hamstring strain, it’s easy to expect that he’ll be playing in the Western Conference Finals.
This win also earmarks the sixth WCF appearance by the franchise in the 18 seasons since they relocated to Oklahoma City. Now that’s utterly impressive, especially for a team whose success has been defined by building through the draft and focusing on home-grown talents over the years. If you’re still not moved, it took the Seattle SuperSonics 29 seasons to reach the Western Conference Finals six times and they didn’t made it back before being re-branded as the Thunder, 12 years later.
Historic Performances from Thunder Players
SGA finally managed to shake off the rust and played like an MVP when it mattered most. His 35-point night was still the most points scored by any player in the 2026 Western Conference Semifinals. That says a lot when he’s faced multiple doubles and triple-teams for most of the series.
Holmgren, on the other hand, called the game in the final moments with his strong presence in the paint.
CHET SLAMS AGAINNNNN‼️ pic.twitter.com/TeXkxA4G6J
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 12, 2026
He finished with 16 points, which was his lowest in the series. Still, he shot 6-of-9 from the field, showing how his efficiency shines on the biggest stage of the game. What makes it even better is that Holmgren is 34-of-35 at the rim in the whole postseason. That’s a promising achievement for someone who was said to be too thin and lanky to be a big man. Just look at this clutch dunk to take the lead with 32.8 seconds left to play
Another headliner game from Mitchell became the finishing touch. Mitchell’s $9 million contract should be in bigger discussion now, considering the value he’s provided to the Thunder so far. Finishing 12-of-19 from the field with 28 points is no easy work, let alone for a sophomore player who carries the load when both Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren sit on the bench.
Other Notable Feats in the OKC Sweep
SGA stays perfect (9-0) in Game 4s in his career and OKC has an 8-0 record with a +16.6 scoring margin. Again, they did all that while surviving the Lakers’ best game of the series. With the sweep, the Thunder also become the fourth team to finish 4-0 in a series against LeBron James. But if you take a deeper look, all the teams that have done the same have won championships.
The 2007 Spurs, 2018 Warriors, and the 2023 Nuggets all pulled the same feat. As favorites, it is highly likely that Oklahoma City will join this group in a few weeks’ time. As they now wait for either the Minnesota Timberwolves or the San Antonio Spurs, fans will definitely look forward to a higher level of play from the defending champs.
Teams that have swept LeBron James:
2007 Spurs 🏆
2018 Warriors 🏆
2023 Nuggets 🏆
2026 Thunder ❔— 𝙎𝙠𝙮𝙚𝙙 🇦🇺 (@SkyedOKC) May 12, 2026
Sweeping the Lakers after doing the same to the Phoenix Suns send a strong message: The Thunder are coming for a repeat.
With that in mind, no team has won back-to-back titles since the Warriors in 2017 and 2018. If they pull this off, one can argue that this is indeed a dynasty to look out for.
© Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
