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Thunder’s persecution of his first NBA championship ever since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City stays alive.
While the franchise reached the mountain top when the team called Seattle Home in 1979, the team has not yet won a title since settlement in OKC. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team with 35 points when Okc Steamrolled The Denver Nuggets in Sunday’s Game 7 in the Western Conference SemiFinals.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, No. 2 by Oklahoma City Thunder, celebrates during the game against Denver Nuggets in Round 2 match 7 in 2025 NBA playoffs on May 18, 2025 in the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)
The 125-93 victory stopped Thunder’s ticket to the Western conference final. OKC meets Minnesota Timberwolves in the conference final, which begins on Tuesday.
Timothée Chalamet celebrates with fans in the NYC streets after Knicks advance to Eastern Conference Finals
Elshehere, New York Knicks will face Indiana Pacers in NBA’s other conference finals. Knicks has not won an NBA championship since 1973. Pacers won their latest title that year – in ABA.
When Commissioner Adam Silver hands one of these teams Larry O’Brien Trophy next month, it marks a league first-seven championship franchise for a seven-year period.
May 18, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots against Denver Nuggets in the second half during match seven in the second round of 2025 NBA playoffs at the Paycom Center. (Alonzo Adams Preferred Pictures)
There has not been a back-to-back NBA champion since the Golden State Warriors won in 2017 and 2018. From there the list of masters goes like this: Toronto in 2019, Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, Milwaukee in 2021, Golden State in 2022, Denver in 2023 and Boston last season.
It is the longest such race of different masters in the NBA story; Major League Baseball, NHL and NFL have all had any longer, and not long ago.
May 18, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Oklahoma City Thunder Guard Luguentz Dort (5) moves after scoring against Denver Nuggets in the second quarter during match seven in the second round of 2025 NBA playing games in the Paycom Center. (Alonzo Adams Preferred Pictures)
Despite dealing with what ESPN reported as a “Grade 2 Hamstring tribe”, Nuggets played Aaron Gordon on Sunday. He finished the loss by 8 points during his 25 minutes on the field.
While the season is over for 26 of the NBA’s 30 clubs, the fun has just begun for the last four teams to stand.
