Looking in the mirror: What Oklahoma City's roster shares with the last NBA dynasty

The champion squad successful the West is connected the rise. This franchise hasn't won an NBA rubric since the 1970s but led by a 26-year-old defender caller disconnected his archetypal MVP trophy, it astir won 70 games, finished with a double-digit constituent differential and won the Western Conference finals successful 5 games.

I'm talking, of course, astir the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors, who reached their archetypal of 5 consecutive Finals a decennary agone this week.

But each the aforesaid characteristics use to the 2024-25 Oklahoma City Thunder, who precocious to the Finals with a 124-94 closeout triumph implicit the Minnesota Timberwolves connected Wednesday. The Thunder aren't conscionable a emblematic finalist, but a historically large team, and they reflector those Warriors a decennary later, owed to a fig of eerie similarities betwixt the 2 squads.

Midway done the 2010s, cipher would person reasonably expected the Warriors -- who, to that point, hadn't reached the league finals successful the Stephen Curry epoch -- to go the decade's defining team, but they forced their mode into that spot with repeated trips to the Finals. Similarly, the Thunder hadn't reached the league finals successful the archetypal fractional of the 2020s, but they're poised to predominate the remainder of the decennary -- and, perhaps, to physique a comparable dynasty of their own.

The similarities commencement with the 2 teams' demographics. For now, the 2015 Warriors are the youngest title-winner since 1980, with an mean squad property (weighted by playoff minutes) of 26.4 years. But the Thunder are adjacent younger, astatine 24.7.

That younker includes the 2 teams' starring scorers, who are astatine the aforesaid constituent of their marvelous careers. Curry was 26 years aged successful 2014-15, conscionable arsenic Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is now. Curry had a 63.8% existent shooting people en way to his archetypal MVP a decennary ago, portion caller MVP Gilgeous-Alexander had a 63.7% existent shooting people this season. (Curry's 2015 play is still, remarkably, the astir caller MVP run that ended successful a championship, and SGA has a accidental to articulation him successful that feat.)

Their sidekicks besides look familiar. Klay Thompson was a 24-year-old two-way prima who made his archetypal All-NBA 3rd squad erstwhile the Warriors embarked connected their archetypal rubric run. Jalen Williams is simply a 23-year-old two-way prima who received his archetypal All-NBA 3rd squad motion this year. Draymond Green was a 24-year-old positional tweener from the Midwest who received first-team All-Defense honors. Chet Holmgren is simply a 22-year-old unicorn from the Midwest who led the league successful rim defense, and would person contended for All-Defensive designation if helium had been eligible.

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Michael Malone: Thunder are perfectly unrelenting connected defense

Michael Malone joins Scott Van Pelt to interruption down what makes the Thunder truthful hard to halt aft sealing the Western Conference finals.

But wait, there's more. Andre Iguodala was a 31-year-old antiaircraft savant who elevated the Warriors erstwhile helium entered games arsenic a reserve. Alex Caruso is the aforesaid for the Thunder, conscionable a twelvemonth younger. Iguodala earned Finals MVP honors that season. Could Caruso travel suit?

Andrew Bogut was a defensively stout overseas halfway who started games but didn't ever decorativeness them, averaging 23 minutes successful Golden State's playoff run. Isaiah Hartenstein is practically the same, with 24 minutes alternatively of 23.

Both teams besides made a captious discourtesy for defence commercialized arsenic they built retired their rosters. The timelines don't lucifer perfectly, but the Warriors traded a talented defender successful Monta Ellis due to the fact that helium was a worse playmaker than Curry, and an ace defender (Bogut) was a amended acceptable for the team. Similarly, the Thunder traded a talented defender successful Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls due to the fact that helium wasn't arsenic bully arsenic Gilgeous-Alexander, and an ace defender (Caruso) made much consciousness for their rotation.

Golden State and Oklahoma City besides traveled on akin paths done the playoffs, en way to the Finals, adjacent arsenic critics doubted their quality to construe specified tremendous regular-season occurrence to the postseason. Remember each the speech a decennary agone astir however a 3-point-centric squad similar the Warriors couldn't perchance triumph successful the playoffs? It sounded a batch similar the communicative this twelvemonth astir however opponents didn't "fear" the Thunder due to the fact that they hadn't won the rubric before.

The 2015 Warriors and 2025 Thunder some swept the No. 8 effect successful the archetypal round, with a large comeback triumph successful Game 3: Golden State stormed backmost from 20 points down successful the 4th fourth successful New Orleans -- Curry's ludicrous tying 3-pointer implicit Anthony Davis highlighted the comeback -- portion Oklahoma City overcame a 29-point shortage successful Memphis.

Then some teams had to past a gut cheque against a veteran, playoff-tested squad successful the 2nd round, aft falling down 2-1 successful the series. The Warriors came backmost against the Grit 'N Grind Memphis Grizzlies to triumph successful six games portion the Thunder utilized aggregate fourth-quarter comebacks to bushed the caller champion Denver Nuggets successful seven.

Both teams utilized a caller antiaircraft wrinkle -- the Warriors had Bogut "guard" non-shooter Tony Allen, and the Thunder enactment Caruso connected three-time MVP large antheral Nikola Jokic -- to pave the mode to victory.

And successful the league finals, facing a squad led by an ascendant prima defender (James Harden of the Houston Rockets past and Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves now) and a multitime Defensive Player of the Year astatine halfway (Dwight Howard past and Rudy Gobert now), the Thunder and Warriors won successful five.

Perhaps the 2 teams followed analogous trajectories due to the fact that of their akin statistical profiles. The Warriors are remembered for their violative brilliance, arsenic avatars of the 3-point revolution, but their archetypal title squad was really amended connected the different end. Golden State ranked archetypal successful antiaircraft standing and 2nd connected offense, akin to the Thunder ranking archetypal successful antiaircraft standing and 3rd connected discourtesy this season.

Both teams allowed importantly much escaped throws than they attempted, but they led the league successful points disconnected turnovers and were susceptible of breaking their opponents with abrupt points barrages.

Perhaps the astir important transportation successful the large representation betwixt the 2 ascendant teams is that the champion was yet to travel for Golden State, which whitethorn beryllium existent for Oklahoma City arsenic well. In retrospect, it's casual to place the Warriors' magical 2014-15 play arsenic conscionable the commencement of thing special, alternatively than the highest -- they really had a amended constituent differential successful 2015-16 and 2016-17 and won respective much titles aft their first.

Similarly, it's not hard to ideate an adjacent amended Thunder play successful the adjacent future, fixed the group's younker and roster flexibility. The Thunder could besides payment from amended wounded luck. They won astatine a 70-win gait erstwhile astatine slightest 1 of Holmgren and Hartenstein was disposable but mislaid some large men for a mates little palmy stretches of this season.

After all, the Thunder already acceptable the NBA grounds for constituent differential this season. With different twelvemonth of development, is it that hard to envision them pushing for the regular-season triumph grounds (73) adjacent year, considering the Warriors acceptable the people the twelvemonth aft their archetypal Finals run?

Two superior obstacles could get successful the mode of an Oklahoma City dynasty that would rival the Warriors' past decade, however. First, the NBA's caller apron rules could origin a premature breakup of the Thunder's elite depth.

In bid to support their title roster unneurotic for the agelong term, the Warriors led the NBA successful payroll successful 2017-18 and 2018-19, with a combined $86 cardinal successful luxury taxation payments crossed those 2 seasons. A decennary later, it's not conscionable a question of whether Oklahoma City's owners volition o.k. specified lavish spending, but whether further apron restrictions volition preclude that anticipation entirely.

Second, the Warriors extended their tally by signing Kevin Durant successful his prime.

It's amusive to speculate however their dynasty mightiness person unfolded had Durant signed elsewhere oregon stayed with the Thunder successful 2016. It's not arsenic if Warriors would person collapsed without him: They had conscionable won 73 games and apt would person won the rubric if not for Green's suspension successful the Finals.

But Cleveland had arguably the champion squad of the 2nd LeBron James epoch successful 2017 -- those Cavaliers started 12-1 successful the playoffs to scope the Finals -- and Western Conference threats similar the San Antonio Spurs and the Rockets were connected the rise. Golden State astir apt wouldn't person reached 5 Finals successful a enactment without Durant.

(It's casual to rotation retired further hypotheticals here. If Durant hadn't signed with the Warriors, would Zaza Pachulia person been successful a presumption to descent nether Kawhi Leonard's ft successful the 2017 league finals? Would Daryl Morey person traded for Chris Paul to physique the archetypal 60-win squad successful Rockets history? Would the Thunder person even traded for Paul George arsenic a Durant replacement, mounting successful question the events that led to Gilgeous-Alexander's accomplishment successful Oklahoma City?)

Regardless, Durant's determination to Golden State captured an unprecedented script successful the game's history, which created arguably the champion squad the league has ever seen: the 2016-17 Warriors, who rampaged done the playoffs with a 16-1 record.

Unless the Thunder triumph the rubric and commercialized for Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer, it's irrational to ideate a comparable determination for Oklahoma City. In and of itself, that mightiness beryllium capable crushed to uncertainty the Thunder's quality to predominate the remainder of the 2020s, comparative to Golden State's successful the 2010s.

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Thunder cruise past Wolves to clinch Western Conference finals

The Thunder stroke past the Timberwolves successful Game 5 of the Western Conference finals to scope their archetypal NBA Finals since 2012.

But the Thunder person 1 vantage the Warriors didn't. Other than Durant, Golden State didn't truly adhd to its halfway erstwhile it started winning. Of the apical 10 Warriors successful full playoff minutes during their five-year run, 8 were already connected the squad erstwhile the 2014-15 play began. The lone exceptions were Durant and Kevon Looney, who joined the nine successful the summertime of 2016 via escaped bureau and the draft, respectively.

Golden State hardly utilized the draught aft adding Curry, Thompson, Green and Harrison Barnes from 2009 done 2012. Due to a fig of trades, the Warriors made conscionable 3 picks successful the six drafts from 2013 done 2018. Looney worked out, but Damian Jones and Jacob Evans did not. They besides traded for Jordan Bell, Patrick McCaw and Nemanja Nedovic connected draught night, nary of whom developed into semipermanent contributors.

Unlike the Warriors, the Thunder person much picks than they tin really use, including each of their ain picks and aboriginal first-round selections oregon swaps from the Miami Heat, LA Clippers, Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz, Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks. That stash means much opportunities for Oklahoma City to physique astir its young large 3 -- which volition beryllium necessary, fixed the headdress complications that hamper deep, star-laden teams successful the modern NBA.

The conception of a dynasty successful Oklahoma City inactive seems acold distant fixed that it hasn't won its archetypal rubric yet. But the Thunder are heavy favored to bash so, and should they win, they volition beryllium successful a amended presumption to widen their reign than immoderate caller champion.

After an full column's worthy of similarities, that discourse mightiness beryllium the top difference betwixt the 2015 Warriors and 2025 Thunder. Golden State emerged into the spotlight arsenic the latest variation successful a agelong lineage of NBA dynasties. From 1999 done 2014, each Finals featured the Lakers, Spurs oregon Heat, and repetition titles were the norm alternatively than the exception.

By comparison, arsenic Oklahoma City ascends the competitory ladder, the NBA is guaranteed to person its seventh antithetic champion successful the past 7 years. No reigning champ has precocious past the 2nd circular since the 2018-19 Warriors.

But the signifier is acceptable for the adjacent large NBA dynasty. The Thunder's blueprint is clear, arsenic they travel the Warriors' exemplary a decennary later. They've assembled a talented large 3 with the due supporting cast. They've survived the indispensable playoff tests. And they're prepared to specify the 2020s, conscionable arsenic the Warriors became synonymous with the NBA successful the 2010s.