The Oklahoma City Thunder will hope to win back-to-back NBA Championships.
The feat was last accomplished by the Golden State Warriors after they won the 2017 and 2018 NBA Championships.
Since then, fans have witnessed a new champion every season, with the Oklahoma City Thunder lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy in the summer of 2025.
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty ImagesOKC Thunder are the team to beat in the Western Conference, says Stan Van Gundy
Former Miami Heat head coach Stan Van Gundy recently appeared for an interview with Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
During the conversation, SVG shared his honest thoughts on the Thunder’s chances of repeating as NBA champions.
“They are the team to beat, no question. I don’t think there is another team close to them. OKC was dominant and rightfully won the championship,” Van Gundy said.
He added: “Denver [Nuggets] gave them a pretty good run in the playoffs, but other than that, they sort of walked through it.”
Even with the Denver Nuggets improving their bench this offseason, the Thunder simply have way more talent on the roster.
So, it’s only fair that SVG sees Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the Thunder to another title run.
Stan Van Gundy says an injury to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could spoil the OKC Thunder’s dream
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Last season, Gilgeous-Alexander had the best campaign of his NBA career. Aside from becoming an NBA champion, SGA also won the NBA Finals MVP and the regular-season MVP.
While the Thunder have a talented pool of stars featuring the likes of Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, the most important player on the team is the reigning MVP of the league.
Keeping that in mind, Van Gundy believes the only scenario where OKC does not repeat as champions is where Gilgeous-Alexander gets injured.
“They are just such a deep team. If Shai gets hurt, obviously, all bets are off, but they can weather injuries to virtually anybody else on their roster. Those other guys are good.
“Jalen Williams is an All-Star, and I’m not taking anything away from him or Chet Holmgren, but if those guys go down, they get people to step into those spots,” Van Gundy stated.
He concluded, stating: “Shai is irreplaceable, but everyone else… I mean, it’s hard, other than an injury to Shai, to see any other team taking them down.”
SGA averaged 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game last season. So, yes, he is indeed irreplaceable.