After getting knocked out of the Western Conference Finals last season by the San Antonio Spurs, you can bet the Oklahoma City Thunder are looking to get one back. While beating the Spurs has to be a priority, that doesn't mean the Thunder are ready to chase the title again in 2027.
The 2024-2025 season was huge for OKC. They finished with 68 wins and 14 losses, the best record in the West as well as the best record in the entire league. Considering how well they were playing, it wasn't a big surprise that they won the Western Conference title and went on to the championship.
OKC took on the Pacers in a series that went the distance to Game Seven. Had Tyrese Haliburton not torn his right Achilles tendon, many believe that the Pacers would have gone on to win the title that year. Regardless of what might have been, what did happen was the Thunder winning.
There were a lot of people who believed that the Thunder would run it back in 2026. Instead, the Spurs defeated them in the conference finals, then went on to lose to the Knicks in the NBA Finals. It was not the outcome most predicted, but it was good to see New York break their 53-year slump.
The Thunder will have a lot to prove against the Spurs this season
It wasn't just that the Spurs took the Thunder out of contention for the NBA Championship. They also prevented OKC from winning the NBA Cup. On top of that, the Spurs beat them in four out of five meetings in the regular season as well as four out of seven games in the WCF.
Basically, San Antonio had OKC's number throughout 2025-2026. On the current schedule, the Thunder and Spurs are only set to face each other three times. Depending on how this year's Cup plays out, a fourth matchup could be added before the season is over.
The Thunder will be going into all of their games against the Spurs with something to prove. San Antonio remains a favorite to challenge for the title this year, if not win it all. OKC cannot do the same if they are unable to defeat San Antonio, both in the regular season and the postseason.
If they do make it past the Spurs, questions about their ability to beat teams in the East like the Knicks, the 76ers, and the Pistons when it counts remain. The Thunder have the ability to win it all one more time, but that won't happen if they can't beat the best from either conference.
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