Entering the 2025 NBA playoffs, there were some doubts surrounding the Oklahoma City Thunder. Were they still too young? Did they have enough experience yet? Were they ready to take the next jump? Those questions didn’t go away, especially when they were down 2-1 against the Denver Nuggets and on the verge of going down 3-1. After they overcame that problem, they lost by 42 points to the Timberwolves. However, the Thunder did what they had done all year: respond. They won the next two games and reached the 2025 NBA Finals.
The question people may be asking is, how did this young team make it to the NBA Finals even though they won 68 games in the regular season? Let’s dive into the reasons why this young Thunder team made the 2025 NBA Finals with a chance of winning it.
4 Reasons Why The Thunder are In the 2025 NBA Finals
The Emergence of Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams
The Thunder were the West’s top seed in last year’s playoffs, but weren’t ready to take that next step. A significant reason why they weren’t ready for the moment was that Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams weren’t. The Thunder had all the role players you needed to win, and an MVP-level player in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, to have a chance to win it. Unfortunately, they were not ready, as Holmgren and Williams struggled to make an impact. This year, the same questions arrived, and this team was only going to be ready to make a Finals run if Holmgren and Williams met the moment.
The first series started well for them as both Holmgren and Williams helped the Thunder sweep the Grizzlies, with Shai struggling. However, the Nuggets series was a little bit different as Holmgren and Williams struggled once again. Williams had only two games in which he eclipsed 20 or more points and struggled with his efficiency. Holmgren, on the other hand, was more consistent but still struggled at times. However, after they got past the Nuggets, the Thunder’s big three finally put it all together in a series. Holmgren scored 20 or more points in three of the five games. Williams had his playoff career high in Game 4, and the big three combined for 95 points that game, the most in franchise history.
The Additions of Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein
In addition to Holmgren and Williams not being ready, the Thunder missed some key role players last year as well. In the offseason, they made two big moves to get Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein. Without those two acquisitions, the Thunder probably wouldn’t have made it to the Finals. Caruso brought that championship experience that they were missing and served as a versatile defender; they didn’t have the luxury of having last year. Hartenstein helped fix their major weakness a year ago, which was rebounding, and also was a better backup big for whenever Holmgren went to the bench. Caruso was especially crucial in the Nuggets series, helping this team manage the highs and lows of that matchup as well with his defense on Nikola Jokic.
Improvements With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Gilgeous-Alexander has made huge strides this year, helping throughout the Thunder’s deep run to the Finals. There were three key improvements he made to his game. The first one is improving his three-point shot. Throughout this season, he has made a huge effort in shooting more threes, as he shot a career high of 5.7 attempts per game with a respectable 37.5% clip. Even though he hasn’t shot the ball too well from behind the arc in these playoffs, the threat is still there as teams have to honor his ability to shoot now, which makes the other things he does super efficiently easier for him.
The second thing was helping his teammates be more prepared for the playoffs. There were many times in the regular season where teams would double-team Shai, and instead of helping his team get out of the situation himself, he would allow his team to make those shots even if it cost them games, which it did. However, this has paid off in the playoffs; the current Thunder roster is more comfortable in high-pressure moments and is making big shots they were unable to a year ago. Finally, Shai’s playmaking ability has improved. He has become a better passer throughout the year, which adds more layers to his game that make him unguardable.
The Denver Nuggets Series got the Thunder Ready for the Finals
The last reason why the Thunder are in the 2025 NBA Finals is that they went through the Nuggets in the playoffs. This was the team the Thunder wanted to play, as the Nuggets have the championship pedigree, and it would bring the best out of them. This series did exactly that, as the Thunder grew enormously in this series. Having to overcome a heartbreaking Game 1 loss, figuring out how to beat a zone, how to score in the crunch time, being down 2-1, and a Game 7. Every test they needed to answer happened in that series, and they answered every challenge in front of them. It was also super impressive to see how fast this team grew in one series. Without these tests, who knows if the Thunder would have made it to the Finals this year?
The Last Word on The Thunder Making the 2025 NBA Finals
The Thunder are back in the Finals for the first time since 2012. However, the job isn’t finished. This was just a step in the right direction, but their ultimate goal is to host the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Regardless of who comes out of the East, the Thunder will have home-court advantage and be the favorites to win. However, the big three of Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, and Williams have to play like they did against the Timberwolves to have a chance toward victory. The Thunder are knocking on the door of a ring, and now they have to go finish the job as opposed to what happened in 2012.
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