Thunder will make infamous history if they fail to capture NBA title

A significant historical precedent will be broken if the Thunder fail to beat the Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday.

That's because the five other teams with the largest points differential in NBA history — the 1971-72 Lakers (12.28), 1970-71 Bucks (12.26), 1995-96 Bulls (12.24), 2016-17 Warriors (11.63) and 2023-24 Boston Celtics (11.34) — all went on to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy. 

The Thunder (12.87) clinched the scoring differential record with a 68-14 record, establishing themselves as one of the most dominant regular-season teams in NBA lore. If they fail to capture the title, they risk going down in history as a team that choked under the brightest lights.

Mark Daigneault's men also risk becoming only the second team to win 68 games without securing the NBA title, joining the 2015-16 Warriors, who infamously blew a 3-1 lead to the Cavaliers after winning a record 73 games in the regular season. 

All the pressure is on the Thunder. The Pacers made a Cinderella run to the Finals and are essentially playing with house money. Regardless of the outcome, they'd still be celebrated for defying the odds and reaching the championship round. That sentiment doesn't apply to the Thunder, who would have failed to live up to their hype.

Former NBA star Chandler Parsons believes a loss for the Thunder would mark the biggest upset in NBA Finals history.