After defeating the Dallas Mavericks 135 to 86 on Sunday afternoon, the Oklahoma City Thunder have clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference entering the Playoffs. This marks OKC’s first top seed in the West since the 2012-13 season when they won 60 games.
OKC is finishing this year’s regular season with a 57-25 record in one of the most competitive seasons in recent memory for the Western Conference. This comes after three consecutive losing seasons for the Thunder.
A big component in their success this season is three things, one of which has been considered a “weakness”: Commodore, youth, and health.
The Thunder have been a tightly-knit group all season, resembling that of a college team, probably due to their average age (23.9 years). Speaking of that, their youth is what has kept them healthy. The term “young legs” is real and they may be what gives OKC an advantage in the playoffs against older teams like the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, and Los Angeles Clippers.
Nevertheless, OKC has the presumed Coach of the Year in Mark Daigneault and a top 3 MVP candidate in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Pair that with one of the brightest rising stars in the NBA, Jalen Williams, runner-up for Rookie of the Year, Chet Holmgren, and another rookie that didn’t disappoint in Cason Wallace and you have the No. 1 seed in the highly competitive West while being one of the youngest teams in the league.
Who will the Thunder play? Well, we should know shortly, but for now, Thunder fans, celebrate your team finally being back after a 12-year hiatus.
