The inflection points are clear. A Game 4 win in Denver. A Game 7 win over the Nuggets that put them away. The Game 3 bludgeoning that the Thunder took from the Wolves, sniffing real urgency like smelling salts. The Game 4 win in Minnesota in a bout with videogame shotmaking, when the group’s resilience was tested most.

Alex Caruso is the only current Oklahoma City Thunder player who has previous experience playing in the NBA Finals. Caruso was on the Los Angeles Lakers team that beat the Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA Finals in the bubble at Lake Buena Vista,

As the Oklahoma City Thunder received their Western Conference champion shirts and hats, former ghosts reappeared throughout social media. From Serge Ibaka to Darius Bazley to Isaiah Roby, ex-players chipped in to congratulate the franchise for returning to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012.

A video reveals what the Oklahoma City Thunder head coach told Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after their NBA Finals berth.

Less than 24 hours after the Thunder clinched their spot in the NBA Finals, the focus in Oklahoma City, for now, shifts from the hardwood floors to the softball diamond.