These Thunder don’t overwhelm you in that way, but the power is unrelenting. The Thunder defense is as close to dominant as any team the league has produced in this millennium, and as Haliburton mentioned, the Thunder employ the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The small markets get the big stage in the NBA Finals that begin Thursday. For Oklahoma City, it’s a second trip since moving from Seattle in 2008.

OKC, technically playing for the second title in franchise history, still has Seattle's history after a 2008 relocation

The NBA Finals are almost here. That means one team — either the OKC Thunder or the Indiana Pacers — is just four wins away from the NBA championship.

This analyst delivered an extremely bold statement regarding Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ahead of the NBA Finals.