Following the long-lived Golden State Warriors dynasty in the late 2010s, the NBA has been without a back-to-back winner for several years. But by the hand of the marvelous Sam Presti and a little bit of help from the Los Angeles Clippers, the Oklahoma City Thunder have arrived to become the NBA's next dynasty.
The Thunder dominated their way through the 2024-25 regular season and carried their success to the NBA Finals to face the Indiana Pacers. In a matchup that seemed doomed for Indiana, the high-flying Pacers took the series to seven and nearly beat the Thunder.