Sometimes winning the championship really requires luck! The third young master of the Thunder in the past is obviously stronger than the current Thunder team

On June 23, in the history of the NBA, the ownership of the championship is often not just a reflection of strength, but sometimes luck also plays a crucial role. The Oklahoma City Thunder in 2025 is a vivid example. The team led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the first championship trophy in team history without being favored, fulfilling the dream that the former "Thunder Three Young Masters" - Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden - failed to realize. Behind this achievement is the hard work of the team management for many years and the favor of the goddess of destiny.

Looking back at the history of the Thunder, the "Thunder Three Young Masters" period in the early 2010s was undoubtedly the team's golden age. Three talented young players, Durant, Westbrook and Harden, rose rapidly and led the team to the finals in 2012. However, facing the Miami Heat Big Three, the young Thunder finally lost 1-4. Since then, due to salary pressure and team strategic adjustments, Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets, and the third young man disbanded. Although Durant and Westbrook continued to lead the Thunder to remain competitive, the team never failed to make it to the Finals again, let alone win the championship. Durant switched to the Golden State Warriors in 2016, and Westbrook also left a few years later, and the Thunder entered a reconstruction period.

In contrast, the Thunder in 2025 seems to be far less than the third young man's period in judging from the paper strength of the 2025 period. However, the charm of basketball games is that team chemistry, tactical execution and performance at critical moments are often more important than simple star piles. As the core of the team, Alexander demonstrated his strong leadership and comprehensive technical capabilities. Not only can he carry the game with his outstanding scoring ability, he can also calmly organize the offense at critical moments and create opportunities for his teammates. More importantly, the Thunder have built a team with balanced offense and excellent depth around Alexander. The rapid growth of young players such as Chet Holmgren and Josh Giddey, as well as the veteran's experience, has given the Thunder the ability to compete for the championship.

Of course, the blessing of luck is indispensable on the road to winning the championship. In the 2025 playoffs, the Thunder have been favored by the goddess of luck many times at critical moments. In the Western Conference semi-finals, against defending champion Denver Nuggets, the Thunder advanced with Alexander's finals. In the Western Conference Finals, facing the Dallas Mavericks with Luca Doncic, the Thunder completed the reversal when they were once behind. In the finals, their opponent was the Eastern Conference upstart Orlando Magic. This young team lacked finals experience. The Thunder seized the opportunity and won the O'Brien Cup with a total score of 4-2.

Alexander's performance is undoubtedly the biggest contributor to the Thunder's championship. Throughout the playoffs, he averaged 32.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game, and stood up at critical moments many times. In the sixth game of the finals, Alexander scored 41 points and hit a key three-pointer at the last moment to completely secure the victory. His performance not only won the honor of the Finals MVP, but also made him among the league's top superstars. In contrast, although the former Thunder Third Young Master had outstanding personal abilities, he never found the best team balance point. Especially after Harden left, the combination of Durant and Westbrook, although the data was gorgeous, it was still difficult to break through the fierce competition in the West. The success of the Thunder is also inseparable from the management's foresight. General Manager Sam Presti accumulated a large number of draft picks during the team's reconstruction and gradually created this championship team through smart operations. Unlike the rush to achieve success during the three young men, the Thunder maintained enough patience during the reconstruction process, focusing on cultivating young players, and strengthening the lineup through trading and free market signing. This long-term team-building idea eventually bears fruitful results in 2025.

The luck of winning the championship is also reflected in the avoidance of injury factors. In the 2025 playoffs, the main players of the Thunder remained relatively healthy, while several of their main competitors suffered from injuries to varying degrees. Nuggets' Jamal Murray was out of the Western Conference semifinals due to injury, and Mavericks' Kyrie Irving was also affected by an ankle injury in the Western Conference finals. In contrast, the Thunder Third Young Master was eliminated early in the playoffs in 2013 by Westbrook, and Durant's foot injury in 2015 also missed the team in the playoffs. A healthy lineup is undoubtedly an important guarantee for the Thunder to win the championship in 2025.

From a more macro perspective, the NBA's competitive environment is also changing. In the 2025 league, traditional powerhouses such as the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers have entered the stage of alternating new and old, while emerging forces such as the Magic and the Thunder have seized the opportunity. In contrast, the competition in the league during the third young men of the Thunder was even more intense, especially in the Western Conference, where teams such as the Spurs, Clippers, Grizzlies and others are hard-to-knit tough tricks. The times create heroes, Alexander and his Thunder team stood at the forefront of changes in the league. The Thunder did not stop after winning the championship. Alexander said in an interview that the championship trophy is just the beginning and the team's goal is to build a new dynasty. Although the three young masters of the Thunder achieved brilliant personal achievements that year - Durant won two championships with the Warriors and was elected FMVP twice, Harden became an MVP with the Rockets and led the team to the Western Conference Finals many times, and Westbrook made a feat of averaging triple-double - but failing to realize his ultimate dream together with the Thunder is always a regret in the hearts of fans. Now, Alexander has led the Thunder to the top of the league, and in a sense it has completed the unfinished career of the three young masters.

In basketball games, strength is the foundation, but luck is also indispensable. The 2025 Thunder proved this with a championship trophy. Alexander's leadership, the depth of the team, the operation of the management, a healthy lineup and changes in the competitive environment, all these factors work together to create this seemingly accidental but inevitable result. Sometimes it does take a little luck to win the championship, but more importantly, when luck comes, you are all ready.