Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (left) and guard Luguentz Dort (right). Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The OKC apology tour is officially underway

By Sai Mohan | Last updated May 29, 2025 8:42 AM ET

The Oklahoma City Thunder won 68 games with an NBA-record points differential, only to be doubted before the postseason. Some felt they weren't "deep enough" to make a run. Others said they lacked a reliable No. 2 option to support MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The Thunder (12-4 in the playoffs) more than silenced all the doubters, pummeling opponents by a total margin of 173 points en route to the 2025 NBA Finals. After they dispatched the Timberwolves in a lopsided Western Conference Finals series, Lakers legend Magic Johnson was among the many who apologized for doubting their legitimacy.

I want to apologize to the Oklahoma City Thunder for underestimating them and not thinking they were ready to compete for a Championship.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 29, 2025

Expect a lot of talking heads on television to take Johnson's cue and apologize to Mark Daigneault's men in the coming days.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst explained why the Thunder had to earn the respect the hard way from peers around the league.

"This team wasn't really respected within the league this year," he said. "Everybody respected Shai, but people questioned whether the other supporting players — Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren— were good enough to get them here."

Williams and Holmgren more than answered the call in the Western Conference Finals, establishing themselves as part of a new Big Three for the Thunder. While Williams averaged 22.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists through five games, Holmgren tallied 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. The latter also served as OKC's primary rim protector, given that Isaiah Hartenstein averaged less than 20 minutes per game.

The Thunder will now await the winner of the Pacers-Knicks series as they return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012. The franchise is pursuing its second championship following the Seattle SuperSonics' 1979 NBA title win. It relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008.

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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