Prediction No. 4) The Thunder will be a top-six seed in the west
It is often said hindsight is 20/20. I wish I would have pegged the Thunder to be higher than just in the safe six out in the Western Conference standings.
Once again, the Thunder exceeded all expectations regarding this prediction, for not only did they crack the top six, but they finished with the number one seed, securing homecourt throughout the entirety of the West playoffs.
The Oklahoma City Thunder becomes the youngest team in NBA history (23.9 years) to secure a No. 1 seed. OKC has several members who’ll receive award votes, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for MVP, Chet Holmgren for Rookie of the Year, and Mark Daigneault for Coach of the Year. pic.twitter.com/4ugDrO3dvy
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) April 14, 2024
It did, indeed, take a little help from to tiebreakers, but the Thunder earned the top seed because Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a magical campaign, Jalen Williams had a breakout season, Chet Holmgren appeared in all 82 games, Isaiah Joe & Aaron Wiggins led the bench brigade, Jaylin Williams kept chemistry tight with barking, and, most importantly, they played as a team every night.
Finishing first in the West is a massive accomplishment, one that should not be taken for granted.
This marks only the second time in franchise history the Thunder finished atop their conference. On top of this, they also made history by becoming the youngest team in NBA history to finish first.
Things felt rough during the Thunder's rebuilding years, but Sam Presti said during one of his exit interviews during that time that the team did not just want a playoff appearance, they wanted an arrival.
An arrival could not have been scripted any better in a sports movie than returning to the postseason as the top-seed.
Welcome back to the playoffs Big Blue! Thunder Nation missed you.