The startling similarities the Oklahoma City Thunder share with the NBA’s last dynasty

The top team in the Western Conference is ascending. This franchise hasn`t claimed an NBA championship since the 1970s, yet now, powered by a 26-year-old guard fresh off his inaugural MVP honor, it nearly reached 70 victories, posted a double-digit scoring margin, and secured the Western Conference finals in five games.

Naturally, I`m referring to the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors, who reached the first of their five consecutive Finals appearances precisely a decade ago this week.

However, these very same characteristics apply to the 2024-25 Oklahoma City Thunder, who booked their spot in the Finals with a decisive 124-94 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. The Thunder aren`t merely another finalist; they are a historically exceptional team, exhibiting an uncanny resemblance to those Warriors from a decade prior, marked by numerous striking parallels between the two rosters.

In the mid-2010s, it would have been improbable for anyone to foresee the Warriors – who had not yet reached the conference finals during the Stephen Curry era – evolving into the defining team of the decade. Yet, they solidified that status through repeated trips to the Finals. Similarly, the Thunder had not made a conference finals appearance in the first half of the 2020s but are now poised to dominate the remainder of the decade, perhaps even building a comparable dynasty of their own.

The resemblances commence with the demographic makeup of the two teams. Currently, the 2015 Warriors hold the distinction of being the youngest title-winning team since 1980, with an average age (weighted by playoff minutes played) of 26.4 years. Impressively, the Thunder are even younger, averaging 24.7 years.

This youthful profile extends to the leading scorers of both teams, who found themselves at identical junctures in their remarkable careers. Stephen Curry was 26 years old in the 2014-15 season, mirroring Shai Gilgeous-Alexander`s age now. Curry achieved a 63.8% true shooting percentage en route to his first MVP award a decade ago, while the recent MVP Gilgeous-Alexander posted a 63.7% true shooting percentage this season. (Curry`s 2015 season remains, remarkably, the most recent MVP campaign to culminate in a championship; SGA has the opportunity to replicate this feat.)

Their primary supporting players also exhibit familiar characteristics. Klay Thompson was a 24-year-old two-way standout who earned his first All-NBA third-team selection when the Warriors embarked on their initial championship quest. Jalen Williams is a 23-year-old two-way force who received his first All-NBA third-team recognition this year. Draymond Green was a 24-year-old player known for his positional versatility from the Midwest, earning first-team All-Defense honors. Chet Holmgren is a 22-year-old unique talent from the Midwest who led the league in rim protection and would have been a strong contender for All-Defensive honors had he met the eligibility criteria.

But the parallels don`t end there. Andre Iguodala was a 31-year-old defensive specialist who significantly boosted the Warriors` performance when coming off the bench. Alex Caruso fills a similar role for the Thunder, being just a year younger. Iguodala was named Finals MVP that season. Could Caruso potentially follow suit?

Andrew Bogut was a skilled defensive international center who typically started games but didn`t always conclude them, averaging 23 minutes during Golden State`s playoff run. Isaiah Hartenstein serves a practically identical function, averaging 24 minutes instead of 23.

Both teams also executed pivotal trades prioritizing defense over offense while constructing their rosters. Although the timelines aren`t an exact match, the Warriors traded a talented guard in Monta Ellis because he was a less effective playmaker than Curry, and an elite defender (Bogut) was a better fit for the team`s needs. Similarly, the Thunder sent a gifted guard in Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls, judging him not as effective as Gilgeous-Alexander, and found that an elite defender (Caruso) made more sense for their rotation.

Golden State and Oklahoma City also navigated similar paths through the playoffs en route to the Finals, despite critics questioning their ability to translate immense regular-season success into postseason triumphs. Recall the widespread discussion a decade ago about whether a team so reliant on 3-pointers like the Warriors could truly succeed in the playoffs? This narrative strongly echoed the one this year suggesting opponents didn`t genuinely `fear` the Thunder because they lacked prior championship experience.

The 2015 Warriors and the 2025 Thunder both swept the No. 8 seed in the first round, featuring a notable comeback victory in Game 3: Golden State rallied from a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit in New Orleans – highlighted by Curry`s astonishing game-tying 3-pointer over Anthony Davis – while Oklahoma City overcame a 29-point gap in Memphis.

Subsequently, both teams faced a significant challenge against a seasoned, playoff-tested opponent in the second round, finding themselves trailing 2-1 in the series. The Warriors mounted a comeback against the tenacious “Grit `N Grind” Memphis Grizzlies to win in six games, while the Thunder utilized multiple fourth-quarter rallies to defeat the recent champions, the Denver Nuggets, in seven games.

Both teams successfully employed unique defensive strategies – the Warriors assigned Bogut to `guard` non-shooter Tony Allen, and the Thunder tasked Caruso with defending three-time MVP big man Nikola Jokic – paving their way to series victories.

And in the conference finals, facing a team led by an emerging star guard (James Harden of the Houston Rockets then, and Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves now) and a center who had won multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards (Dwight Howard then, and Rudy Gobert now), both the Thunder and Warriors triumphed in five games.

Perhaps the analogous trajectories of the two teams stem from their comparable statistical profiles. The Warriors are often remembered for their offensive prowess, serving as pioneers of the 3-point revolution. However, their first championship squad was, in fact, superior defensively. Golden State ranked first in defensive rating and second offensively, mirroring the Thunder`s ranking of first in defensive rating and third offensively this season.

Both teams conceded significantly more free throws than they attempted, yet they led the league in points generated from turnovers and possessed the capability to overwhelm their opponents with sudden scoring outbursts.

Crucially, perhaps the most significant link between these two dominant teams in the broader context is that for Golden State, the best was yet to come, which may also hold true for Oklahoma City. In hindsight, it`s simple to view the Warriors` magical 2014-15 season merely as the beginning of something extraordinary, rather than its apex. They actually recorded a better point differential in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons and captured several more titles after their initial one.

Similarly, it`s entirely plausible to envision an even stronger Thunder season in the near future, given the youth of the core group and their roster flexibility. The Thunder could also benefit from improved luck regarding injuries. They maintained a 70-win pace when at least one of Holmgren and Hartenstein was available but lost both centers for less successful periods this season.

After all, the Thunder have already set the NBA record for point differential this season. With another year of player development, is it really far-fetched to imagine them contending for the regular-season wins record (73) next year, considering the Warriors set that mark the season following their first Finals run?

However, two primary challenges could impede Oklahoma City from establishing a dynasty comparable to the Warriors` recent decade. Firstly, the NBA`s new collective bargaining agreement rules, specifically the luxury tax apron restrictions, could potentially force a premature dismantling of the Thunder`s elite depth.

To retain their championship roster for the long term, the Warriors incurred the league`s highest payrolls in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, accumulating a combined $86 million in luxury tax payments over those two years. A decade later, the question is not only whether Oklahoma City`s ownership is willing to approve such extensive spending but also whether additional apron limitations will entirely prevent that possibility.

Secondly, the Warriors extended their period of dominance by acquiring Kevin Durant during his prime.

It`s fascinating to speculate how their dynasty might have unfolded had Durant signed elsewhere or remained with the Thunder in 2016. It`s not as though the Warriors would have collapsed without him; they had just achieved a 73-win season and likely would have secured the title that year had Draymond Green not been suspended in the Finals.

Nevertheless, Cleveland arguably fielded the strongest team of the second LeBron James era in 2017 – those Cavaliers commenced the playoffs with a 12-1 record to reach the Finals – and Western Conference contenders like the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets were on the rise. Golden State likely would not have reached five consecutive Finals appearances without Durant.

Regardless, Durant`s decision to join Golden State represented an unprecedented event in the league`s history, resulting in arguably the greatest team ever assembled: the 2016-17 Warriors, who dominated the playoffs with a 16-1 record.

Unless the Thunder win the championship *and* somehow acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer, it`s unrealistic to envision a comparable roster-enhancing move for Oklahoma City. This factor alone might be sufficient reason to question the Thunder`s capacity to dominate the latter half of the 2020s to the extent the Warriors dominated the 2010s.

Yet, the Thunder possess an advantage that the Warriors did not. Apart from Durant, Golden State didn`t significantly augment its core group once it began winning. Of the top 10 Warriors players in total playoff minutes during their five-year run, eight were already on the team when the 2014-15 season commenced. The only exceptions were Durant and Kevon Looney, who joined the franchise in the summer of 2016 via free agency and the draft, respectively.

Golden State made minimal use of the draft after selecting Curry, Thompson, Green, and Harrison Barnes between 2009 and 2012. Due to various trades, the Warriors made only three draft picks in the six drafts from 2013 through 2018. Looney proved to be a successful pick, but Damian Jones and Jacob Evans did not pan out. They also acquired players like Jordan Bell, Patrick McCaw, and Nemanja Nedovic on draft night via trades, none of whom developed into long-term significant contributors.

Unlike the Warriors, the Thunder hold an abundance of draft picks, more than they can realistically utilize. This includes all of their own future first-round selections, plus additional picks or swap rights from teams like the Miami Heat, LA Clippers, Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets, and Dallas Mavericks. This stockpile provides Oklahoma City with numerous opportunities to build around its young core of three stars, which will be essential given the salary cap complexities that challenge deep, star-laden teams in the modern NBA.

The concept of a dynasty in Oklahoma City may still seem distant, considering they have yet to secure their first championship. However, the Thunder are considered strong favorites to do so, and should they win, they will be in a better position to extend their reign than any recent champion.

After noting a column`s worth of similarities, that context might ironically represent the most significant *difference* between the 2015 Warriors and the 2025 Thunder. Golden State emerged into prominence as the latest in a long line of NBA dynasties. From 1999 through 2014, every single Finals series featured either the Lakers, Spurs, or Heat, and repeated championships were the norm rather than the exception.

In contrast, as Oklahoma City ascends the competitive hierarchy, the NBA is guaranteed to crown its seventh different champion in the past seven years. No defending champion has advanced beyond the second round since the 2018-19 Warriors.

Nevertheless, the stage is set for the NBA`s next great dynasty. The Thunder`s blueprint is remarkably clear, as they appear to be following the Warriors` model a decade later. They have assembled a talented core of three star players with a suitable supporting cast. They have successfully navigated the necessary playoff challenges. And they are seemingly prepared to define the 2020s, just as the Warriors became synonymous with the NBA throughout the 2010s.