The OKC Thunder came into the 2025-26 season as odds-on favorites to win their second-straight title. As we head into the postseason, this still remains the case.
Although they enter the playoffs as the NBA's best team, Oklahoma City is recognizing the sobering reality about their accomplishments: their flashy championship rings and regular-season blowouts don't inherently intimidate their competitors as one would hope.
Just recently, Jalen Williams unknowingly just acknowledged this very fact.
"Sam [Presti] made a really good point... You can play the Finals back last year six million times, and there are a lot of times we don't win it... This playoff run is so unique and so different from the last one that we have to have the ability to understand that," Williams said.
Williams also mentioned that the Indiana Pacers can replay the 2025 NBA Finals millions of times, and there are likely many instances where they come out on top.
Thunder aren't relying on last year's success as backbone of repeat push
The comments highlight an important truth about their title run last year that the rest of the league is likely well aware of.
Even though they won the championship, it is no secret that the stars had to align perfectly for it to happen.
Ja Morant got injured in Game 3 of the first round, all but ending the series a game and a half early. It took OKC seven games to defeat a hobbled Nuggets squad in round two that was forced to play injured starters 40-plus minutes each night.
Most notably, the Thunder were literally losing Game 7 of the NBA Finals before Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles.
It's clear Williams and company recognize that this feat was not solely on account of their supremacy over the rest of the league. Things had to go right. They had to catch breaks.
As a result, repeating this year will be no walk in the park.
Given the way the regular season went, he may have a point.
The Thunder finished with the best record in the league, but it didn't come without alarm bells.
After getting dominated by the league's second-best team, the San Antonio Spurs, the Thunder dropped their only game to a fully healthy Celtics squad late in the season.
With the two teams currently being seen as OKC's stiffest title competition, the performances don't exactly instill confidence in Thunder fans.
Despite this, the Thunder still enter the postseason as the title favorites, led by MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
As a result, the Thunder won't be leaving this year with any new friends. Numerous comments from other camps have made their disdain for the defending champs crystal clear.
Thunder aren't oblivious to the target on their backs
The fact that the Thunder have no delusions about their tough road ahead should be comforting to any fan who might be worried about impending title threats.
Williams' comments exemplify the mental discipline he and his teammates have developed in order to avoid the dreaded championship hangover.
The mindset shows clear similarities to that of both his teammates and head coach, who have preached simple but winning values like getting better every day and prioritizing team success over individual success.
Such maturity from a young team only serves to bolster their chances of hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the second straight year.
The heightened self-awareness should work to their advantage as they prepare for the first round of their title defense, which begins Sunday. Repeating such a dubious feat won't be easy, as danger looms in every corner of the playoff bracket.
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