As the Oklahoma City Thunder took the court for Sunday night’s Game 7, there was a palpable feeling in the air.
A historic season was coming to a close, with one final game left to show for their long season. The night wasn’t just about seeing which team would come out on top— it was also about validating the years of painful losses, rebuilds, and heartbreaking moments for Oklahoma City.
The Beginnings
It was almost exactly 13 years ago that Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook played their final game together.
The Thunder were an up-and-coming team that had gone toe-to-toe with the league’s best in the postseason. They found themselves in the NBA Finals after beating star-studded teams — Dirk’s Mavericks, Kobe’s Lakers, and Tim Duncan’s Spurs.
The Thunder would come up short in the Finals, losing in five games to the Hall of Fame trio of LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade. They watched the Miami Heat celebrate their first title of the Big Three era and walk off with the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
There was disappointment, yes, for the franchise that drafted three now-MVPs. Despite the heartache that reverberated throughout the organization, there was an optimistic belief that the team could run it back. After all, they had three emerging stars who had just been battle-tested in the playoffs.
What Could Have Been
Those hopes vanished when the Sixth Man of the Year, James Harden, left for Houston just days before the start of the 2012-13 season.
Many were upset by this. Others understood the move, as Harden was growing into one of the league’s best guards. He wanted a bigger role and a more lucrative contract. Of the players involved in that trade, Steven Adams is the lone player still in the NBA.
Kevin Durant’s departure to Golden State in 2016 was salt on an open wound for Thunder fans. Amidst rumblings that he and Westbrook could no longer play together, Durant decided to go for his best chance at winning a ring. Paul George would later be brought in as Westbrook’s running mate, although the two were never able to lead OKC back to the Finals.
That’s why, when the ball tipped off against the Pacers Sunday night, it was about more than just the reigning MVP, or his stellar co-stars. It was for anyone who had been along for the ride, through the best and worst times. It was for anyone who had any part of themselves tied to the OKC fabric.
Not Just the Players
Marvin Mack has seen many players come and go through Paycom Center over the last two decades. He’s had a front-row seat to wins and losses, and beloved players coming and going. He’s been around basketball his whole life, especially since he started working as a security guard at Paycom Center in 2003. Raised just 30 minutes north of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City basketball meant everything.
Through the departures of All-Star players, rebuild years, and galvanizing victories, Mack had seen it all. Everything except a championship.
Champs at Last
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hoisted the Finals MVP trophy up, basking in pure jubilation of accomplishing something no other MVP who had put on a Thunder jersey was able to do. Chants of OKC rained down on the home court as confetti flew across the arena. Everyone knew how hard it was to get here.
A new Thunder arena is slated to open in 2028. This feels like just the beginning of a long run for OKC. Joy is sure to radiate throughout not just the city, but the entire state of Oklahoma, all summer long.
The youth of OKC’s core has many wondering if this iteration of the Thunder can become what the 2012 trio couldn’t: a dynasty. What is for sure is that they will savor this championship as long as they can. Everyone from the security guards to the fans in the arena knows what the organization had to endure to capture its first championship.
The title-clinching game was career-defining for SGA, his teammates, and the general manager of the Thunder, Sam Presti.
But deep down inside, they know that it represents something much bigger than themselves.
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