The Oklahoma City Thunder finished their stellar season with the number-one seed in the Western Conference. They also secured an awesome record in the process.
The Thunder came out ahead in a frantic three-team race for the West’s top seed between OKC, the Denver Nuggets, and the Minnesota Timberwolves. After the season finale, it was the Thunder at one, the Nuggets at two, and the T-Wolves at three.
The Oklahoma City Thunder Set A Record After Winning 1-Seed In The West
The Thunder just barely edged out the defending champion Nuggets, who they only beat out for the top seed via tiebreaker. But whether by an inch or a mile, the top team still gets homecourt advantage through to the conference finals.
The Thunder got the one-seed despite the team’s average age being just 23.9 years old. The feat made them the youngest team in NBA history to lock up their conference’s top seed.
OKC’s starting lineup skews even younger than the team’s average age, which is pulled up by veterans Gordon Hayward, Mike Muscala, and Bismack Biyombo.
25-year-old Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the oldest player among the team’s starters. In descending order, the rest of the starters include Lu Dort (24), Jalen Williams (23), Chet Holmgren (21), and Josh Giddey (21).
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Youth Doesn’t Mean They Can’t Win It All
The Thunder may be young on paper, but they’ve played with a poise this season akin to veteran teams that have been together for years.
OKC has performed in the clutch all season long. They have 24 clutch game wins , which is tied for third-most in the NBA along with veteran squads the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors — two teams the Thunder could eventually face in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The Thunder are 24-14 in clutch games, defined as contests they are within five points at any point in the final five minutes of a contest.
The Thunder are also top-five in both offensive and defensive rating . That’s historically been a huge indicator for which teams realistically have a shot at winning the title. The only other team who can boast the same this season are the East’s top seed — the Boston Celtics.
Some may count out the Thunder due to their youth and relative inexperience. But they’ve shattered expectations — and records — despite being relatively young this season already. OKC is poised to do the same come playoff time.
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