Oklahoma City Thunder
Formerly the Seattle Supersonics, the franchise controversially
moved to Oklahoma City in 2008. Formed in 1967, the Sonics
won a championship in 1979 led by Gus Williams, Jack Sikma
and Dennis Johnson. The team rose to contention again in the
1990s behind Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, losing in the 1996
Finals to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.
In the 2010s the franchise had to recover from losing one of the biggest ‘what if’ rosters in NBA history – drafting Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden in successive seasons. That young roster took the Oklahoma franchise to their first Finals appearance, which they lost to the Miami Heat in 2012. Afterwards Harden was traded to Houston, Durant fled to Golden State and Westbrook forced a move which saw him reunited with Harden in Houston.
All three players would win MVPs during their career, but only one came with the Thunder, that was Westbrook’s in the 2016–17 season.
The team is currently looking to build a new chapter in the franchise’s storied history
Sam Presti and the Risks of Asset Accumulation
Asset accumulation is a prevalent front office strategy. Logically, it provides teams with the best chance of landing a star. But Charlie Liptrott asks whether the toll it takes on players is worth it.
With gamers abuzz with the new Xbox and Playstation, Thomas Lamming checks in with the top 10 NBA players and how it matches up with real life
Huw Hopkins (Sky Sports NBA) is joined by Tom Hall and Harry Harrison to discuss this week’s NBA Draft, Chris Paul to the Suns, and more.
Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo have had dominant postseason performances, helping their teams reach the NBA Finals. Could their impact send a shockwave across a league, that over the past decade has increasingly favoured small-ball? Tom Hall takes a look.
The Thunder were the surprise of the regular season, but can they make some noise in the playoffs?
Many expected the Oklahoma City Thunder to be basement dwellers out West this season. Instead, Chris Paul has them comfortably heading towards the postseason. Sean Guest looks at why the Thunder have been so effective and what lies ahead for them in the Orlando Bubble.
Ones to watch: the rest of the west
As NBA playoff basketball edges closer, it is easy to spot the real favorites for…
As we look back on an incredible decade of NBA basketball, the Double Clutch crew debate the league’s MVP for the 2010s
Preview – Oklahoma City Thunder
Episode 306 – NBA | Kawhi Leonard and Paul George literally caused an earthquake
Matthew Wellington and Mike Miller discuss Kawhi Leonard’s decision to join the Los Angeles Clippers. His powers of persuasion; the Clippers year-long pursuit and what this move means for the NBA as a whole. Also, is there an overriding lesson to learn from Leonard’s decision? And more.