OKLAHOMA CITY – The energy inside Paycom Center was electric, the anticipation heavy, and the banner above the court stood alone as a simple of the Oklahoma City Thunder accomplishments of last season.
The NBA season has returned and opening night started in OKC with the 2024-25 champs getting their rings and raising their first banner in franchise history.
In what was an amazing moment for the city and fans, the night was filled with a lot of emotions and distractions for a team that has championship aspirations.
As for the game, the NBA couldn’t have scripted a better first game of the season.
On a night that was meant to be a huge celebration for everyone in Oklahoma, the Thunder needed every once of poise to pull out a victory in double overtime. It wasn’t pretty, far from it, but it was the kind of win that showed why this team has grown from promising to proven.
Before the ball even tipped, the night belonged to Oklahoma City. the ring ceremony brought back memories of last season’s playoff run and the crowd, echoing throughout Paycom, made sure everyone knew. Once the ceremony ended though, reality set in. The Rockets were there to play spoiler.
And for most of the night, it felt like the Rockets were going do just that.
Despite the emotional highs, the Thunder stayed grounded. Getting down by as much as 12, this team showed the same poise they had last season that helped them win the championship. And this was one of the biggest positives of the night.
Instead of rushing shots, particularly late, or letting their emotions get the best of them and letting the Houston defense fluster them, OKC played with patience down the stretch to get back in the game and get it to overtime. They trusted their system, moved the ball, and relied on their defense when the offense couldn’t get things going.
It took him a while, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looked like the MVP from last season staying cool, calm ,and collected and making every right decision late.
Defensively, the Thunder were as physical and connected as ever. It was important for them to not let Houston impose their will physically and that’s just what they did. They forced 24 turnovers, as testament to how well they rotated, played passing lanes, and not allowing easy entry passes at any spot on the floor. Lu Dort and Chet Holmgren set the tone with their physicality in two different way.
Holmgren with his offense and Dort with his defense. Holmgren was the aggressor offensively letting the Rockets know he was a completely different player. Dort just did what he does defensively and didn’t let Kevin Durant get any good looks. Denying him at the top of the key which created a handful of turnovers. The Thunder showed hitter toughness, battling through contact and never backing down from Houston’s physicality and athleticism.
Still, for all of the positive, there were a few areas we can clearly see the areas the Thunder have to make some improvements if they want to go back to back. They got up 53 threes in the win.
A little alarming for any team in the league but especially for this Thunder team. They built their success from spacing and pace. For the most part, they weren’t bad looks but some of them could have been much better and turned into drives Too many early shot clock threes that just took them out of the flow of the offense.
Another issue in the win was the glass. In a close game like this, every little thing matters. The Rockets were able to get too many offensive boards no matter what. Even when the Thunder played with their double big lineup, the Rockets were able to find a way to get to the offensive glass. This is the one area they lacked physicality.
In the end, the Thunder found a way. As they did during their championship run. Their defense, discipline, and determination carried them through the emotional highs and ugly moments. Ring night reminded everyone just how far this team has come, and that even when the shots don’t fall, Oklahoma City identity still does.
It wasn’t perfect, but it was exactly the kind of gritty, resilient win that championship teams build on.
