Will 2025-26 Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder break Warriors’ 73-game win report?
LAS VEGAS — The final time we noticed the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, it was in a dramatic NBA Cup loss to Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.
That dropped the Thunder to 24-2 on the season, “solely” a report 76-win tempo. They’re off to the second-fastest begin in NBA historical past, trailing solely the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, who had been 25-1 and went on to set an NBA report 73 wins that season.
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Does eclipsing that regular-season win report matter?
“Completely,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander mentioned. “Successful issues, and it doesn’t matter what kind it appears to be like prefer to me. So completely.”
They completely can do it, too. The primary a part of chasing a report like that’s the “need” issue — do they need to chase it? Speaking to some Thunder gamers in Las Vegas, the reply was sure, however it has to come back within the stream of them enhancing all through the season and staying wholesome. Past the need to do it, the Thunder have the expertise — a protection that’s the greatest within the league by a rustic mile, the fifth-ranked offense, and a internet score of +16.4 that might set a league report.
There are plenty of similarities between the 2015-16 Warriors, who set the league report with 73 wins, and these Thunder. Each had been groups coming off their first titles and trying to make a mark as a dynasty, each are led by superstars coming off their first MVP (Stephen Curry and Gilgeous-Alexander), and each groups have deep expertise swimming pools round these stars, gifted guys who need to win.
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Additionally, each these 2016 Warriors and these Thunder are prepared to speak brazenly about chasing that report. Nevertheless, these Thunder additionally keep in mind that the 73-win Warriors blew a 3-1 lead within the Finals and blamed that, partly, on being drained from the report chase.
“Sure, as a result of we’re aggressive, you understand what I imply,” Jalen Williams mentioned when requested in the event that they had been going to go after the report. “You can say that we’re chasing it, however it’s additionally a type of issues that we’re not going on the market to lose, both. So if it occurs organically, then it does.
“Clearly, down the highway, every time that will get there, it is like, all proper, can we sacrifice well being once we’re already solidified on the No. 1 or regardless of the spot is? You get into these questions, we are able to reply these down the highway.
“However plenty of it’s simply seeing how good we may be each sport and if it ends in a win and we get there, then that is cool. However when you get to the playoffs, all people, your season actually would not matter. In order that’s form of how we have a look at it.”
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The loss to the Spurs in a giant nationwide sport wasn’t seen as a setback a lot as a studying expertise within the Thunder locker room.
“What are we, 24-2?” Williams mentioned. “I imply, we are able to go dwelling and simply dangle our hat on that, or we are able to have a look at it as a solution to get higher and perceive that we performed in opposition to a playoff staff that beat us and gave us a two [second loss] on our factor. In order that’s how we’ll have a look at it from a aggressive standpoint.”
The opposite aggressive standpoint: The Thunder get two extra photographs on the Spurs subsequent week. The 2 will face off on Tuesday evening on Coast 2 Coast on NBC and Peacock, then they’ll play once more in a first-rate slot on Christmas Day.
Take these two video games from an excellent Spurs staff, and the Thunder’s menace to surpass the Warriors’ 73-win report might be in much more jeopardy.
