The hypotheticals are more nuanced this year. It was all soberingly simple in 2024. In a series of blowouts, the Nuggets would’ve advanced past Minnesota if they had just protected that 20-point lead in Game 7. There were no other distinct moments that swung the outcome. Just one unambiguous collapse.

After a dominating second half in Game 1, the Oklahoma City Thunder took a commanding lead in the Western Conference Finals on Thursday with newly named Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous Alexander at the help.

Timberwolves in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals in the 2025 NBA Playoffs. While NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has led the OKC Thunder on the court, a seven-member ownership panel has led the team behind the scenes for decades.

There is someone who the Oklahoma City Thunder simply cannot stop. They simultaneously send multiple players — sometimes about half the roster, it seems — to try and derail him.

Melissa Griggs Hendricks and her assistant, Candace Chao, have painted OKC Thunder window art at more than 100 locations since the end of April.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gave a generous gift to his Oklahoma City Thunder teammates after winning 2024-25 MVP honors.