US EditionPublished • loading... • Updated
Repeating Is Just Noise to Thunder at Moment
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads a Thunder team that finished 64-18 and averaged 9.7 steals as it seeks the NBA’s first repeat since 2018.
- On Sunday, the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder open the 2026 NBA playoffs as the top seed, beginning their quest to defend the 2025 title with a league-best 64-18 record.
- Seven different champions in seven years highlight the league's current parity era; the Thunder dominated this season with a 24-1 start and a 19-3 run in their final 22 games to secure the West's top spot.
- "That's so far down the line," Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said regarding back-to-back talk, while Center Chet Holmgren, who averaged 1.9 blocks per game, said he is "extremely excited" entering the postseason.
- Oklahoma City awaits their first-round opponent, determined by Friday's play-in game between Golden State and Phoenix, with the postseason officially beginning Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
- General manager Sam Presti told the team they must "divorce ourselves from the success of last season" as they aim to become the first repeat champion since the Golden State Warriors won in 2017 and 2018.
Insights by Ground AI
48 Articles
48 Articles
Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander doesn't sound too enthusiastic about the idea of becoming an NBA champion for the second year in a row.
·Pennsylvania, United States
Read Full ArticleCoverage Details
Total News Sources48
Leaning Left9Leaning Right8Center18Last UpdatedBias Distribution51% Center
Bias Distribution
- 51% of the sources are Center
51% Center
L 26%
C 51%
R 23%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
