Despite finishing with the best record in the league at 68-14, registering in with the game's largest-ever point differential in a single season, and being spearheaded by MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, many still doubted this OKC Thunder team heading into the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
And while they still may have 15 more wins to claim in order to be crowned NBA Champions, Sunday's Game 1 blowout over the Memphis Grizzlies should serve as an encouraging sign that this club is every bit worthy of their title-favorite status.
From their offensive punch that saw them drop 131 points on 50.5 percent shooting to their defensive efforts that held the sixth-ranked Grizzlies offense to a mere 80 points and a whopping 22 turnovers, Oklahoma City seemed as close to flawless as a team could ever dream.
By the time the final buzzer sounded, SGA and co. clinched not only one of the largest margins of victory in league history, but also set the record for such a feat in a Game 1 with their 51-point beatdown.
While their record-setting win should be viewed as a tremendous accomplishment on its own, excitingly enough, one could also make the case that it may have put the kibosh on a few major concerns critics had about this Thunder club coming into the postseason.
Jalen Williams can 'run the show'
Coming into the playoffs, everyone knew how good Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was.
With his league-leading scoring averages (32.7 points per game) and elite defensive abilities (105.7 defensive rating), he's more than proven himself to be an all-around difference-maker and, arguably, the best player in the NBA today.
However, what was a major question mark regarding this team was whether his co-star, Jalen Williams, was capable not only of serving as a trusty number two option alongside SGA but stepping up his play in times of need to, as the folks at Bleacher Report once put it, "run the show."
In just one game, it seems that the All-Star more than put these fears to rest.
Right from the get-go, Williams seemed to be in full attack mode. From driving the lane and creating space in the mid-range to finding his teammates for highlight-reel dimes, the 24-year-old had his paws all over the map during the contest, as he wrapped with 20 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and a block while shooting 62.5 percent from the field.
In any game, these contributions would have been a tremendous luxury for the Thunder.
However, on a night where Gilgeous-Alexander literally had his worst statistical outing of the season, they were truly game-changing, as Jalen Williams undoubtedly served as the catalyst in Oklahoma City's blowout win.
Chet Holmgren has seemingly found his 'rhythm'
Since making his way back to the hardwood from his three-month, injury-induced absence on February 7, it has been rather apparent that Chet Holmgren has not entirely been himself, particularly on offense.
Whether it was a clear hesitancy with his interior game or his unpredictable shooting stroke, the big man's struggles became so evident following his return that even coach Mark Daigneault went on record to note that they were actively working to find ways for him to get back into a "rhythm" on the floor.
Though there may have been some concerns about if he would be able to find said rhythm amid the high-pressure NBA Playoffs, 21 minutes was all it took to quell any and all anxieties.
Looking like his pre-injury self, Holmgren took command on both ends of the floor, as he poured in 19 points, 10 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks while shooting 45.5 percent from the floor and 75.0 percent from deep.
His impact was so contagious, in fact, that he single-handedly sparked the charge in the final 3:35 of the first quarter where the Thunder finished out on a 14-7 run and, in turn, took complete control of the game's momentum, as he dropped in the initial seven points of said run.
Coming into the postseason, Holmgren was pegged as arguably the biggest X-factor for this Thunder squad, and, in Game 1, he only added more credence to such a case.
Thunder have scoring options outside of SGA
As noted earlier, Sunday was statistically the worst game Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has had all season and, more specifically, the lowest point total he's seen since March 24, 2024.
If someone were to have told you this was in the forecast for Game 1 of the playoffs even a week ago, the vast majority of people would have guaranteed a Thunder loss.
After all, perhaps the biggest criticism of this team throughout 2024-25 has been that they struggled to find offensive success when SGA is either sidelined or taken out of the game by a defense, and the advanced metrics only further support such a claim.
However, in a surprise turn of events, OKC managed to weather this proverbial storm thanks to not just the services of his co-stars in Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, but the rest of the team as a whole.
By the time the final buzzer sounded, the Thunder saw six different players score in double-figures, while seven individuals wrapped up the night shooting 50.0 percent or better from the field.
Aaron Wiggins wound up being the highest scorer on the night with 21 points on 53.3 percent shooting from the floor and 57.1 percent shooting from distance -- a stat that becomes even more impressive when considering he came off the bench.
If this response to an off-night from Gilgeous-Alexander doesn't instill confidence in the fact that Oklahoma City is capable of seeing tertiary scoring options step up, we're not sure what will.