Looking Back On OKC Thunder's Top Playoff Moments Three Months After Winning Championship

The OKC Thunder ensured NBA immortality on June 22 against the Indiana Pacers in Paycom Center when it won 103-91 in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. The win marked the franchise's first championship since relocating to Oklahoma.

Now, the Thunder players and staff are ramping up offseason activities, preparing for yet another 82-game grind to start, looking to be the first team to repeat as champions since the infamous Golden State Warriors team of the late 2010s. The 2025 championship-winning team will be remembered forever in the city, however.

Every player on the Finals roster, as well as General Manager Sam Presti, Head Coach Mark Daigneault and owner Clay Bennett, has a holiday named after them from June 30 to July 30. Every moment, ever play, every player will be remembered through the magical run.

Here are five memorable moments from the Thunder run.

History in Memphis

In Game 3 of the first round series against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Thunder rallied from a 29-point hole and 26-point halftime deficit to take a commanding 3-0 series lead. The win marked the second-largest playoff comeback in the play-by-play era and the second-largest playoff halftime comeback ever.

The Thunder dominated the first two games of this series, winning by 51 and 19 points, respectively. After getting in their first hole in the playoffs to that point, the Thunder, aided by an injury to Ja Morant, stormed all the way back in the second half with timely buckets from every player on the floor.

Dort's Barrage

Signs started to point to the worst during OKC's Game 5 in the second round against the Denver Nuggets. Superstar center Nikola Jokić was dominating and had just put Denver up by double digits, and the Thunder's offense was drying up.

Thunder guard Luguentz Dort's three-point shot was ice-cold until he found his stroke again at the most crucial moment. In a span of two minutes of game time, Dort nailed three threes, supercharging an 11-2 Thunder run, turning a nine-point deficit to a tied game in the blink of an eye.

The Thunder would go on to win the crucial Game 5,

Best of the West

The Thunder defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals 4-1 to advance to its second NBA Finals since moving to OKC in 2008. The series win marked the arrival that Sam Presti exclaimed in his 2021 postseason press conference.

The Thunder truly found their footing in the Western Conference Finals. Role players stepped up, center Chet Holmgren had a couple of elite performances, guard Jalen Williams caught a stride he maintained throughout the NBA Finals and superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was dominant, winning MVP of the series.

The Thunder's celebration was just the first ceremony of the many that would follow.

Jalen Williams Frenzy

Jalen Williams' 40-point masterclass in Game 5 of the NBA Finals is another key moment of the run. He became the No. 69 player to score 40 in the Finals.

Despite playing through a torn ligament in his right wrist for the entirety of the playoffs, Williams fully managed the pain for a Game 5 in a series with a 2-2 tie.

Utilizing efficient scoring methods with strong drives to the rim, back cuts, and open jump shots, Williams helped lead the Thunder to a crucial Game 5 victory.

Champions

The moment, and a few moments before, the final buzzer sounded in Game 7 of the NBA Finals rounds out this list. The state of jubilation in the area was contagious; a first-time champion was born.

"The Thunder have taken the NBA by storm. For the first time, the NBA Champion resides in Oklahoma City," ESPN play-by-play commentator Mike Breen said at the horn.

From Dort and guard Alex Caruso running to the crowd before being subbed out for the final time to Williams' sideline waterworks, emotions were flowing. The Thunder managed to win it all in front of the Paycom Center Crowd.

Gilgeous-Alexander would win Finals MVP, becoming the first player since Shaquille O'Neal in 2000 to win both Finals and regular season MVP. He became the first to do that while also winning the Conference Finals MVP award.

While waiting for the Thunder to step on the floor for the 2025-26 campaign, it's good to look back on the magical run that came before.