NBA
HOW THE OKC THUNDER WON THE WILD, WILD WEST!
Nobody Had The Thunder Winning The West On Their Bingo Cards At The Start Of The Season.
Apr 14, 2024
The Thunder, with an average age of 23.9, made history as the youngest team ever to claim the top seed. They also became the youngest team to win the Northwest Division and only the second time in Thunder history to secure the No. 1 seed. Oklahoma City's achievement marks the seventh different top seed in the Western Conference in the last seven seasons.
Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace made history as the first rookie teammates to play in all 82 games of their first season. This feat is rare, with fewer than 30 other rookies ever achieving an 82-game stint.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made Thunder history as the first player to achieve back-to-back seasons averaging 30-plus points per game, a truly shocking achievement when you consider all the former Thunder players who are future Hall of Famers.
The 57-win mark is the third-best in Thunder history, but it was only outdone by the 2012-13 (60) and 2013-14 (59) squads.
THE UNDERRATED LINE:
This historic season is obviously just the end of the regular season; the real season will ultimately define the Thunder 2024 season. Still, you have to give it to SGA and his cast of young Thunder players who put together a great regular season. Head Coach Mark Daigneault deserves to win coach of the year, and SGA, at the very least, should receive some first-place MVP votes for his 30, 5, and 6 seasons.
