The Oklahoma City Thunder are off to another major run.
The defending NBA champions are rolling for a sizzling start to this 2025-26 season. Following Tuesday’s 126-107 win against the LA Clippers, they are now parading a league-best 8-0 card.
This serves as their best start in franchise history since relocating to Oklahoma City, and also making them the eighth defending champion to kickstart a season with an 8-0 record.
The last reigning champs to pull it off were the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, who made it as deep as 24-0 en route to a historic 73-win season.
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With how they’ve been playing thus far, everything seems possible for OKC to perhaps surpass Stephen Curry and the Dubs’ golden campaign from that year, and even follow in their footsteps in becoming a basketball dynasty.
As such, following their victory over the Clippers, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander offered intriguing words on whether he thinks his Thunder team can be the NBA’s next great powerhouse.
“Yeah,” the reigning MVP said in postgame, “Every team has a chance. Every team starts the year 0-0. They play 82 games, and they get a chance to win all 82, too.
“Now, it doesn’t work like that most of the time, more often than not. But we understand the opportunity in front of us, and we sum it up just like trying to attack it every day. No matter where we are, no matter what we accomplish, no matter what we didn’t accomplish, no matter just what we lost, we just try to get better. I think that’s the formula that’s helped us get to where we are today. Obviously, the championship had to start with it this year, perhaps so far this year.
“No matter what, we’re focused on getting better. And if you do that, you’ll eventually be where you want to be, no matter what it is.”
Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder definitely have a solid shot at being a dynasty. Their elite title core is relatively young and well rounded, as both Jalen Williams (24) and Chet Holmgren (23) just keep getting better as two of the league’s most talented stars.
Besides, they have a mind-blowing 13 first-round and 16 second-round picks in the next seven years, which they can use to further improve their championship-ready team.
For now, the Thunder aren’t putting themselves ahead for dynasty talks, as their main priority is to repeat as the champions, regardless of whether they go 82-0 or not this regular season.
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