One of the greatest storylines of the 2024-25 NBA season is the Oklahoma City Thunder’s historic year. They are one of the best regular season teams the league has ever seen across many advanced metrics. This roster has already etched themselves within franchise history as likely the best group assembled.
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However, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith has one condition OKC has to meet before he’ll admit that they’ve surpassed the Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook Thunder team that reached the 2012 NBA Finals.
When analysts begin speaking on how great the Thunder are, they aren’t exaggerating. Throughout the 2023-24 season, there was so much talk about how badly the Celtics were dismantling the competition. Their net rating was an absurd 11.6 which is the fifth best all time. The Thunder are currently tied with the 1995-96 Bulls for the best net rating ever at 13.4.
The Thunder possess ridiculous talent starting with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the frontrunner for MVP, first-time All-Star Jalen Williams, and big man Chet Holmgren. Many have begun to compare this youthful Thunder roster to the 2011-12 team that reached the Finals.
Stephen A. Smith believes that people need to hold their horses on that comparison. But he doesn’t believe it’s out of the realm of possibility. On ESPN’s First Take, he gave OKC one condition to meet and if they do, conversations about which team is better can open.
“With SGA … If they get to the Finals, we can make the argument that this team is better than that team was,” Smith proclaimed. “But we cannot do that until this team gets to the Finals.”
Is this season’s Thunder squad better than the team that went to the Finals with KD, Harden and Westbrook?
“With SGA … If they get to the Finals, we can make the argument that this team is better than that team was.” —@stephenasmith pic.twitter.com/q8XJssbfPr
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 3, 2025
Regardless of how great they are in the regular season, no one will remember those in-season stats if they don’t show up in the playoffs. However, even if they falter, by no means does that invalidate the type of regular season they are having.
Thunder are having arguably the best season ever
It’s remarkable what the Thunder have been able to accomplish in the 2024-25 season. Mike Greenberg took to ESPN’s Get Up to contextualize just how great OKC has truly been this season.
Are the OKC Thunder having the best NBA season ever? @Espngreeny pic.twitter.com/CrNq7L39dQ
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) April 3, 2025
Greenberg highlighted the Thunder’s ridiculous total point margin of 1,018 on the year. There are only three other teams that have reached that threshold: the 1970-71 Bucks led by Lew Alcindor (now known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), the 1971-72 Lakers led by Wilt Chamberlain and the 1995-96 Bulls led by Michael Jordan. All three of those teams won championships.
What makes the Thunder scarier than all of those teams is their youth. They are the second youngest team to be a top-seed, surpassed only by themselves last year.
Last year’s playoffs saw the Thunder flame out in round two. Whether they solidify themselves within basketball royalty this year or not, their success this season will still stand. No matter what, they will continue to be a problem for the foreseeable future.
