Oklahoma City Thunder not content with Finals appearance despite amazing run – NBA News
It is difficult to describe in words what the Oklahoma City Thunder have managed to do in a matter of years. The former Seattle Super Sonics franchise was 3-29 only three seasons ago and hoping to avoid finishing with the worst
record in NBA history. Last year, they were defeated by the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. And this year, the Thunder finished with the 2nd best record in the Western Conference and then went on to beat Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers
and the San Antonio Spurs to make it to the NBA Finals. Those three teams combine to make 10 of the last 13 NBA championships.
"You can look at it as a negative, but I think as a group and as an organization, we've seen some light, and we've seen that one day we'd be at this moment, and one day we'd have an opportunity to win a championship," said Russell
Westbrook,
The Thunder have been in rebuilding mode since the team moved to Oklahoma City. They have relied on their young players such as Russell Westbrook and James Harden and have developed their talent, without looking to sign big stars
or make block buster moves. They have relied on the talent they had and worked hard on them to make a winning combination. And what a combination they have created. After defeating Dallas and the Lakers in the playoffs, the Thunder faced a San Antonio team
that had not lost a game in their last 18 outings. The Spurs cruised past the Thunder in the first two games, but the Thunder showed resolve to win the next four and clinch the series. That feat officially established them on the NBA stage as a team to reckon.
However, talk to the Thunder team and they are not satisfied with just reaching the Finals. They feel that they have done their hard work and this year is their turn to lift the NBA Championship.
"I'm not as excited as I thought I'd be. I think we all know we have more work to do. I don't think any of us dreamt about making it to the Finals. I think we all dreamt about winning it,” said NNBA Nick Collison.
The Thunder have not made an appearance in the NBA Finals since the Seattle Super Sonics reached the Finals in 1996. Their only NBA title came way back in 1979 as the Sonics. It has been a long wait for the franchise, the city,
the fans and the players. As the Thunder host Miami for game 1 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday night, they will have that on their mind. And that will be motivation enough for them to go out and give the Heat a run for their money.
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