OKLAHOMA CITY — The polite reaction to what unfolded Wednesday night in America’s heartland would be to salute the Oklahoma City Thunder for reaching the NBA Finals and to gloss over the gory details of how it happened.

This was, after all, a long-awaited coronation for a small-market marvel. Oklahoma City’s 124-94 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals returned the franchise to the Finals for the first time since 2012 and avenged a heartbreaking West finals loss to the Golden State Warriors in 2016.

Thunder owner Clay Bennett and General Manager Sam Presti, who have guided the organization since its controversial relocation from Seattle in 2008, wore proud smiles during a trophy presentation after the series-clinching win at Paycom Center. Sha

See Full Page