Shannon Sharpe has never been one to let a soft answer go, and when Chet Holmgren walked out of Game 7 with four points and a “we” on his lips, Sharpe made sure the whole internet heard his response.
Chet Holmgren entered the Western Conference Finals viewed as Oklahoma City’s core. After the Thunder missed the Finals, that certainty has been tested.
Just after the Oklahoma City Thunder lost the series against the San Antonio Spurs, the world turned against Chet Holmgren. The Spurs sent home a championship contender, OKC, who was looking to retain the title for another year.
Oklahoma City’s season is over, but the preparation to be a contender again next season is already underway. On Saturday night, the Thunder’s title defense came to a sudden end as the San Antonio Spurs knocked off Oklahoma City in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals.
The Thunder were not just a team that came close. They went 64-18, finished with the best record in the West, had the best net rating in the league, and still lost before the NBA Finals.
As an NBA fan, it hits different when a team's best player is a guy the franchise nurtured from the very start. There's a greater attachment to stars who have been there since the start, who have bled the team's colors since the start of their careers.
The Oklahoma City Thunder possess two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and an elite supporting cast. They have a respected coaching staff and a treasure chest of draft capital.
Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti is one of the best executives around and has rightly earned a whole lot of praise for putting together a juggernaut of a team in recent years.
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s depth was unmatched this season. The team legitimately had 13 or 14 players who would be in almost every team’s rotation around the league.
The 2026 NBA offseason is the first true roadblock in the Oklahoma City Thunder's quest to return to the NBA mountaintop after being one win away from a second consecutive Finals appearance.
Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals was a nightmare for Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The big man struggled in particular, finishing with four points and four rebounds on just 1-for-2 shooting, seeming somewhat intimidated by Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs’ aggressive, physical defense.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is standing behind Chet Holmgren following the Oklahoma City Thunder's playoff exit. The defending champions fell to the San Antonio Spurs 111-103 in Game 7 of the 2026 NBA Western Conference finals.
If an NBA player ends a game with 30 points, that's generally a great night. 40 points is fantastic, and 50 points is an event. That's especially true when that type of scoring outburst comes from an unexpected source.
Cason Wallace had some interesting things to say regarding his future with the Oklahoma City Thunder following the team’s elimination. The reigning NBA champions lost Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals at home to the San Antonio Spurs.
The Oklahoma City Thunder suffered a heartbreak. Trying to carry on the good work from last year, the team wanted to clinch a back-to-back championship.
As great as the San Antonio Spurs were, the short-handed OKC Thunder were still the favorites to win the Western Conference Finals series. According to
As elite of a primary play creator as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is, his reputation on the court isn’t exactly squeaky clean. Think back to all the times the Oklahoma City Thunder player was accused of faking contact, flopping, and foul-baiting.
Over the past few years, the Oklahoma City Thunder have built impressive depth through additions such as Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, and Chet Holmgren.
This Oklahoma City Thunder team must have expected themselves to be back in the NBA Finals to get an opportunity to defend their title, but there will be no repeat champion after the San Antonio Spurs took care of business in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, 111-103.
The harsh reality of championship contention is that success eventually comes with a bill. For the Oklahoma City Thunder, that invoice is about to arrive in full.
The Thunder came up one win short of returning to the NBA Finals, but there wasn’t much self-pity inside the locker room after Game 7. Instead, Oklahoma City’s message was simple.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander repeated as NBA Most Valuable Player and is the consensus best player in the sport with only three-time MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets able to make a reasonable case.
After really impressive dunks, people say the dunker put the defender on a poster. Victor Wembanyama's Game 7 dunk put Chet Holmgren on a missing person poster.
The Oklahoma City Thunder may already be plotting after their championship defense came up short. Oklahoma City is being linked to Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, Sam Amick of The Athletic reported on Sunday.
Oklahoma City was unable to defend its championship in 2025/26, having been eliminated by San Antonio on Saturday night in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is taking a hands-off approach when it comes to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s upcoming offseason. Gilgeous-Alexander was inevitably asked what the Thunder need to do this summer following their Game 7 elimination Saturday at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs.
The Thunder have failed to defend their title after losing two straight games to the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. Will the surprising playoff exit alter the team's offseason playoff plans?