With their chances of setting the all-time record for wins in a single season having virtually dissolved, the chatter surrounding this OKC Thunder team's pursuit of history has reduced to a mere whisper.
However, though it may not be as exciting as registering 74 wins, the ball club is still very much on pace to set a storied league-wide record that, in some ways, is more impressive than a mere win total.
At plus-12.9, last season, Oklahoma City clocked in with the greatest point differential the game has ever seen. For those unfamiliar, point differential is the difference between points scored and points allowed by a team on a per-game basis.
Though we may still have half a season to go, it appears the Thunder are on track to usurp themselves in such a category here in 2025-26, as they currently boast a differential of plus-13.0.
Thunder still on pace to make NBA history here in 2025-26
What's most astonishing about this trajectory is the fact that Oklahoma City is dominating their competition to this extent while enduring a slew of injuries and player absences throughout this first half of action.
So far, there have been seven core members of Mark Daigneault's main rotation who have missed double-digit games, the most prominent of which is Jalen Williams, who, after returning from offseason wrist surgery in late November, is now once again sidelined with a hamstring strain.
With all these health ailments, the Thunder have only managed to roll out their preferred starting lineup of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, J-Dub, Chet Holmgren, and Isaiah Hartenstein on just five separate occasions.
Yet, despite these hardships, OKC is still the number one defensive team in the league, boasts the top record in the association at 36-8, and is viewed as the odds-on favorite to become the first repeat champion since 2019.
The fact that they've been this competitive while dealing with such adversities is truly indicative of just how well-run and incredibly deep this squad is.
While there's no guarantee of what these final few months of the campaign will have in store, considering the way they've managed to play at sub-full strength, once they get back to 100 percent, it should be expected that Oklahoma City will wind up claiming their second consecutive Larry O'Brien Trophy come June.
As things currently stand, it seems like they'll be doing so while resetting their own point differential record along the way.