The Oklahoma City Thunder are on the verge of glory.

Monday night will see reigning MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, return home to the Paycom Center as he looks to inspire the Thunder to their first lead in what has already been a competitive NBA Finals series.

With SGA and a young ‘Big 3’, the Thunder are favorites for the NBA championshipCredit: Getty

While the Indiana Pacers are proving a tougher test than many expected thanks to ‘clutch king’ Tyrese Haliburton, with the finals tied at 2-2, the Thunder are still firm betting favorites to win the title for the first time since re-locating to Oklahoma City.

Should Gilgeous-Alexander and co. get over the line, they will finally deliver the kind of glory that was expected more than a decade ago, when Kevin Durant and the ‘Big 3’ ruled the roost.

Back in 2012, KD, Russell Westbrook and James Harden inspired the Thunder to the NBA Finals.

That year, OKC beat the previous three Western Conference finalists — and rallied from 0-2 to beat the San Antonio Spurs — to become the second-youngest team ever to reach the finals.

They even had home court advantage in the series, but came up against a Miami Heat powerhouse led by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

With a crop of generational players at their peak, Miami made light work of OKC, coming from one game down to win 4-1.

“It would be different if we had them all in their prime, but they were too young,” coach Scott Brooks admitted years later.

Defeat in the NBA Finals no doubt hurt, but the future was bright for the Thunder, even following Harden’s departure four months after championship heartbreak.

In fact, OKC reached the playoffs in three of the four years that followed, missing out only in an injury hit 2014-15 season.

Two of those runs saw them reach the Western Conference Finals, where the Thunder were beaten by the Spurs and the Golden State Warriors.

OKC’s original ‘Big 3’ took them to the 2012 NBA Finals, where they were defeatedCredit: Getty

Harden departed in 2012, but Durant and Westbrook remained in OKCCredit: Getty
But while the playoffs were a regular fixture for OKC, by 2016, the championship window was long closed — and Durant decided to jump ship.

On July 4, KD announced his intention to sign with the Warriors, in a move that was panned by fans and pundits alike.

Many accused him of taking the easy route to glory, by forming a ‘superteam’ with a Golden State squad coming off a record-setting 73-win season in 2016 and a championship in 2015.

“He chose an ideal roster fit and a shot at playing for the highest-scoring offense the NBA has seen in decades,” writer Ben Golliver penned for Sports Illustrated.

“He chose life alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, the greatest shooting backcourt in history, and he chose to go against Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green, two elite defenders, in practices rather than in Western Conference Finals games.”

Three days after announcing his intentions, Durant officially signed with the Warriors on a two-year, $54.3 million contract. He has gone on to make a massive $447 million over the course of his career.

Durant signed with the Warriors in 2016, and went on to win the NBA title twiceCredit: Getty

Durant signed with the Warriors in 2016, and went on to win the NBA title twiceCredit: Getty
The move was so controversial, that it even caught the eye of NBA legend Larry Bird, who compared it to the idea of him forming a superteam with his own great rivals of the 1980s.

“I know back in the day, I couldn’t imagine going to the Lakers and playing with Magic Johnson. I’d rather try to beat him,” Bird said at the time.

“I could never imagine myself going and joining another team with great players, because I had great players and I was in a great situation.”

Bird, though, also admitted he could see the appeal of Durant’s move.
Oklahoma City Thunder reporter Nick Gallo raves about Jalen Williams’ defensive abilities
“When these players get together and go play, it just makes them a lot stronger,” the three-time NBA Champion added.

“But that’s why we have free agency. If they stay within the rules, I have no problem with it and I’m happy for them.”

For Durant, who had tasted defeat at the hands of the Warriors on the biggest stage, it really was a case of, ‘If you can’t beat them, join them.’

Once he departed OKC, the Thunder failed to get past the first round of the playoffs again until 2024, and missed out altogether on three occasions.

Durant was named Finals MVP in both of his championship-winning seasonsCredit: Getty

How OKC fared without Durant

The Thunder struggled in the years that followed KD’s shock exit

2016-17: First-round playoff exit
2017-18: First-round playoff exit
2018-19: First-round playoff exit
2019-20: First-round playoff exit
2020-21: Did not qualify for playoffs
2021-22: Did not qualify for playoffs
2022-23: Did not qualify for playoffs
2023-24: Lost Conference Semifinals
2024-25: NBA Finals vs Pacers (series tied 2-2)

KD and the Warriors, meanwhile, won two NBA Championships together as they formed a dominant dynasty.

That, of course, was eventually broken up as well thanks, in part, to Gilgeous-Alexander of all people.

Now, all these years later, the Thunder are back in the big time, and looking to finally secure a chip with their new ‘Big 3’ — SGA, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.