{"id":150844,"date":"2025-07-17T13:49:21","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T17:49:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=150844"},"modified":"2025-07-17T13:49:21","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T17:49:21","slug":"rockets-thunder-a-soap-opera-nba-rivalry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/07\/17\/rockets-thunder-a-soap-opera-nba-rivalry\/","title":{"rendered":"Rockets-Thunder: A Soap Opera NBA Rivalry"},"content":{"rendered":"

This June, the Oklahoma City Thunder won their first NBA championship. The franchise’s first NBA Finals appearance, however, came back in 2012. The Thunder’s young and exciting trio of stars was the envy of the league, apparently, of one team more than others. Few could have predicted a 13-year NBA Finals hiatus. Even fewer would have said that none of those young stars would still be aboard when the championship threshold was crossed. Fewest of all would say that they’d all wind up playing for the Rockets.<\/p>\n

Rockets-Thunder: A Soap Opera NBA Rivalry<\/h2>\n

Kevin Durant<\/a> is now a Houston Rocket. He follows in the footsteps of his former big three comrades, James Harden<\/a> and Russell Westbrook<\/a>, in donning the red. Unlike those two, who were traded directly from OKC to Houston in 2012 and 2019, respectively, he took the scenic route. He went from one of the beloved characters in the NBA to the most hated man in Oklahoma<\/a> by signing with the Golden State Warriors in 2016. It was long enough of a diversion to pick up a couple of championships during the trip. Long enough as well for Harden and Westbrook to leave Houston behind.<\/p>\n

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May 25, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Kevin Durant attends the WNBA game between the Chicago Sky and the LA Sparks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How the Thunder Got Ahead<\/h3>\n

As for OKC’s transition from that scintillating big three to their current championship roster, it was pretty scenic too. Rather than any of Durant, Harden, or Westbrook, OKC actually recovered the best assets from 2017 trade acquisition Paul George<\/a>. In moving him to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Thunder received the player who has leapfrogged the original OKC big three to become the undisputed franchise G.O.A.T. That is, of course, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After the 2024-25 season, SGA has joined a list<\/a> with only Michael Jordan<\/a>, Shaquille O’Neal<\/a>, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar<\/a>, arguably three of the four best players of all time. Those are players who won the Finals MVP, regular season MVP, and<\/em> scoring title all in the same season. It’s no insult to SGA to say that his inclusion in such a list seems out of place.<\/p>\n

The point is that the Thunder have well and truly moved on from 2012’s splashy big-three. So it’s a little humorous that Houston is now trotting out yet another member. No one can argue that getting Harden didn’t work out for them. He ranks as the second or third greatest player in franchise history. Arguing that Westbrook worked out for anyone<\/a> always requires a lot of nuance. But maybe the third member of OKC’s 2012 NBA Finalist squad will finally be the one to get Houston to that same level and beyond.<\/p>\n

How the Rockets Aim to Catch Up<\/h3>\n

Harden, or even possibly prime Westbrook, might have been better floor raisers than Durant. Harden is the \u201csystem<\/a>\u201d after all. But Durant has always been considered the best player of the three. Even at 36 (turns 37 on September 29), he remains one of the league’s premier scoring threats. What’s more is that Houston acquired him in a relative steal.<\/p>\n