I grew up in a city where a trip to Harkins Theatre felt like the big outing. That was Oklahoma City to a kid born in the 90s. Simple, quiet but full of proud civilians. Fast forward to last night. The skyline feels taller, the options are louder, and the headliner is a championship banner rising inside the Ford, or, I mean Paycom Center. Ring night made it official. The Thunder are champs, and the city that once felt small now carries itself like it belongs on the biggest stage.
Then the ball tipped, and reality set in. Oklahoma City opened up a little flat against Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets. Not careless, just not as sharp as the group we watched mow through June. Ring night will do that. Celebration floats through a locker room and tends to linger. The first half felt like a team shaking off applause.
The thing that separates this team is what followed. The Thunder didn’t settle. They recalibrated. The same “comeback kids” mentality that powered their meteoric rise showed up, only now its defined as championship grit without championship arrogance. It feels like the starting chapters of something dynastic. Hungry, but never loud about it.
Chet Holmgren set the tone early, scoring 13 of OKC’s first 15 points. The shotmaking was clean, but more important was the presence. He demanded attention.
In the second half, Cason Wallace changed the temperature. He turned things up a notch. Eleven points in the third and fourth, three steals that turned into sprints the other way, and a steady hum of pressure at the point of attack. His defense alone rewired the game, gave OKC fresh legs, and gave Shai the runway to take over.
Once the lane opened, Shai did what stars do when called upon. He scored 30 in the second half and both overtimes combined, controlled the pace, hunted angles, and fouled Kevin Durant out of the ballgame in front of a raucous Thunder crowd.
And all that happened with Jalen Williams on the sideline.
Houston isn’t soft. The Rockets had answers all night. Durant was his usual precise self with 23 points on 16 shots. Alperen Sengun was an issue, scoring 39 points on 50 percent shooting and Amen Thompson proved that he is, indeed a future star in this league, adding 18 points. Houston kept swinging and the game stretched into a second overtime before the Thunder finally closed it, 125-124.
Ring Night’s story wasn’t about perfection. It was about poise. OKC raised a banner, took a few punches, and fought back. That’s the culture of the team and, coincidentally, the culture of the city as well.
The city that once relished a night at Harkins, City Walks, or for some adults in my neighborhood, Club Lexus, now celebrates an NBA championship team that mirrors its own growth, which was built from the ground up, just like ther city it resides in.
