How many fans get the chance to cheer for a team this good? The well-oiled machine of a squad we’ve watched all year is better than previous Thunder teams, but we’ve been privileged to watch greatness for most of two decades. That doesn’t mean there haven’t been tough moments. The Finals loss, the Harden trade, the constant injuries, Klay Thompson’s Game 6 heart-stopper, Kevin Durant’s exit to the Bay … all of these loom large in our collective memory. But take a step back and consider the history. It’s only been 18 years since the team moved to Oklahoma City. As of this writing, the Thunder have made the playoffs for 13 of those 18 seasons, with five appearances in the Western Conference Finals, two NBA Finals berths and one championship. Few teams boast a better track record of sustained success. Almost none can in a city as small as OKC. Perennial relevance from a team like the Thunder is unusual in the NBA. There’s only one small-market team that can boast a similar track record: the San Antonio Spurs. The Thunder’s Championship DNAIt feels like destiny to face the Spurs in the playoffs, given how much heritage these two teams share. Before the Spurs, the great NBA dynasties were always anchored to big cities like Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago or New York—San Antonio changed that. The Spurs built their reputation on educated drafting, international scouting, strong culture and smart coaching. They didn’t rely on luck; they made their own, winning four championships through the 2000s and 2010s before Tim Duncan rode off into the sunset. Sam Presti learned how to run a championship team in San Antonio. He cemented his reputation as a drafter with Tony Parker, a move that netted the Spurs multiple rings. When Clay Bennett’s group bought the Sonics and went looking for a sharp young GM, Presti was there, steeped in the ethos of the Buford-Popovich-Duncan Spurs and ready to take the reins. This version of the Thunder is much like the mid-2000s Spurs, with a high draft pick, several smart trades and late-round contributors combining into something greater than the sum of its parts. The shared DNA is obvious. And much like the great San Antonio teams, including the one they faced in this Western Conference Finals, this Thunder team runs on more than star power. Success Starts With the Rest of the TeamThe prime Durant/Westbrook years were marked by a revolving cast of role players, most of whom didn’t pan out—veterans with very little tread left on the tires, cast-off high draft picks looking for a home, one-way players trying to figure out how to stick. This iteration is different. Jared McCain and Isaiah Joe would have been among the best shooters KD and Russ ever played with. Dort, Wallace and Caruso might be the best trio of guard defenders on the same team in the league. The one exception to the rule that the current role players are better is Hartenstein, who’s basically Zoomer Nick Collison. And this OKC team is a real pleasure, even off the court. As fun as it is to watch Isaiah Hartenstein set bruising screens and dissect defenses with passing, he’s been a vital piece of the community off the court as well. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been a huge contributor to local schools and social programs. You’ll run into these guys all around town, on and off camera, and they’re well-liked. It’s easy to forget how incredible it is that OKC has a team like this to cheer for. Los Angeles post-Kobe has struggled to be a contender, even after signing LeBron James. Chicago fans have watched over two decades of mostly awful ball since Jordan hung up his cape. New York is just now emerging from its dark night of the soul after years of incompetence. Championship-contender teams in the NBA are hard to build, fragile, and short-lived. This is not a lucky team. It is a team that succeeds through relentless process, smart evaluation and constant development. Luck exists in the NBA—and you need breaks to win a championship—but the Thunder Way is to load the dice in your favor so you don’t have to count on it. Not so for this fanbase. By an accident of proximity, we cheer for this team.We are the luckiest fans in the world. The post Thunderous Luck appeared first on Oklahoma Gazette. ...read more read less