Young Thunder Star Has Message After NBA Finals Berth
Young Thunder Star Has Message After NBA Finals Berth originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are going to the NBA Finals for just the second time in their young history. It will be the first time since 2012, when they took on the LeBron James-led Miami Heat.
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Many Thunder fans thought that the trio of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden could challenge the big three of James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, especially after the Thunder took Game 1 of that NBA Finals.
It proved to be false hope, though, as the Heat went on to win the next four games and secure the championship.
Young Thunder star has message after NBA Finals berth
This Thunder team feels vastly different than the one that made the Finals back in 2012. While they're led by a superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who took home the league's Most Valuable Player award, the team is more built on tenacious defense and depth.
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Gilgeous-Alexander has displayed the ability to figure out just how defenses are adjusting to him and still burns them night in and night out. But it's the contributions they get from their bench that make them so dangerous.
Players like Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso, providing sparks off the bench, have been a tremendous boost for this Thunder team. Ahead of the Finals, Wallace celebrated by posting some shots of him on his Instagram account with the caption "2x in his 2nd year just need 4 more."
The "2x" refers to his nickname of Caso 2x and that him and the Thunder need just four more wins for an NBA Championship.
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Oddsmakers heavily believe that the Thunder will defeat the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals, as the Thunder are -700 to win, an implied probability of 87.5%.
If the Thunder continue to display the dominance they've shown throughout these playoffs, this series could be a short one.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
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