The nerdy, authentic Oklahoma City Thunder are a breath of fresh air

Winter is over, though perhaps most NBA fans feel as if it’s just beginning. After a midseason slump, the Oklahoma City Thunder have won 12 of their last 13 games They’re clinging to a slim but steady three-game lead over the San Antonio Spurs atop the otherwise chaotic Western Conference. (The Lakers are good now? The Nuggets can’t find their footing? The Rockets can’t even stand up?) The Thunder’s flirtation with vulnerability was fun, but the defending champions look as invincible now as they did during their 24-1 run to begin the season. So, now as then, with nothing to criticize in the Thunder’s basketball, we are compelled to discuss their character and vibes.

Reviews are usually poor. I myself celebrated the Spurs when they recorded a hat-trick of wins over the Thunder in December, simply for injecting intrigue into a season that already seemed decided. The Defector podcast Nothing But Respect recently featured a series of anti-Thunder guests; after discussing the idea that artists don’t like OKC with musician Will Anderson, a host announced, “next week, we will have a real, actual Thunder expert to defend his team’s values”. Most of the comments on that episode seemed unconvinced by Ringer staff writer Tyler Parker’s arguments.

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Nitpicking a player or team who has pulled away from the pack is one of sports’ greatest pleasures. But, at the risk of antagonizing fellow artists, I have caught myself feeling endeared by members of the Thunder lately.

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It started with their star, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He is a somewhat mechanically brilliant player, deadly in the count-on-it consistency of his midrange jumper. But this season, he has added a step-back three-pointer to his arsenal, with which he produces more viscerally awesome moments than ever before. In a neck-and-neck game on 9 March against the Nuggets, whose Nikola Jokić is arguably the only player in the world better than Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP hit one such three with 14 seconds left to seemingly ice the…

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Publish date : 2026-03-26 10:00:00

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