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Top five OKC Thunder seasons: Where does 2023-24 team rank?
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- Top five OKC Thunder seasons: Where does 2023-24 team rank?
The OKC Thunder took a huge step this season.
After going 40-42 the previous campaign, OKC went 57-25 this time around. It became the youngest No. 1 seed in NBA history and reached the Western Conference semifinals, where it suffered a 4-2 series loss to Dallas .
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This will go down as one of the best seasons in franchise history for OKC, which moved from Seattle in 2008. But where exactly does it rank?
Here are the top five OKC seasons:
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5. OKC becomes NBA's youngest-ever No. 1 seed in 2023-24
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrates a basket with forward Jalen Williams (8) against the Heat on March 8 at Paycom Center.
The Thunder took the league by storm this season.
It skyrocketed to the No. 1 seed in a stacked Western Conference. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished second in MVP voting. Mark Daigneault won Coach of the Year.
OKC also became the youngest team to ever win a playoff series when it swept New Orleans in the first round . And even though it fell short against Dallas , this season has to make the list because the young team showed that it's way ahead of schedule.
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4. OKC wins franchise-best 60 regular-season games in 2012-13
OKC secured the No. 1 seed with a 60-22 record, which still stands as its most regular-season wins in franchise history.
Unfortunately, Russell Westbrook suffered a season-ending knee injury in Game 2 of a first-round series against Houston . OKC still earned a 4-2 series win, but it suffered a 4-1 series loss to Memphis in the Western Conference semifinals.
That season had the potential to be much higher on the list if Westbrook never got injured. Still, it gets a slight edge over the 2023-24 campaign because of its regular-season success.
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3. MVP winner Kevin Durant leads OKC to Western Conference Finals in 2013-14
Two years removed from an NBA Finals appearance, OKC continued its run as one of the most dangerous teams in the league.
The Thunder (59-23) earned the second seed in the West thanks in large part to Kevin Durant . He became the first MVP in franchise history with averages of 32 points and 7.4 rebounds.
OKC even gave the eventual champion, San Antonio , a run for its money in the Western Conference Finals. It suffered a 4-2 series loss to the Spurs.
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2. OKC falls one win short of NBA Finals appearance in 2015-16
The Thunder seemed destined to make its second Finals appearance in franchise history.
OKC (55-27) took a 3-1 series lead over Golden State, which earned what still stands as a league-record 73 regular-season wins. But the Thunder lost the next three games.
It was a heartbreaking ending for OKC, which placed a great supporting cast of players such as Serge Ibaka and Steven Adams around its star duo of Durant and Westbrook. Durant infamously left the team the following offseason and signed with Golden State.
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1. OKC makes franchise's lone Finals appearance in 2011-12
Similar to this season's team, the 2011-12 OKC Thunder was way ahead of schedule.
Led by an up-and-coming Big Three of Durant, Westbrook and James Harden , who were all younger than 24, OKC made what still stands as its only Finals appearance in franchise history. It then suffered a 4-1 series loss to Miami .
OKC traded Harden to Houston the following offseason, leaving many people to wonder what could've been if the trio stayed together. Still, the Thunder's 2011-12 season stands as its best in franchise history.
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder: Ranking top five seasons in franchise history
