On Thursday, Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti noted that, for the last six years, the reigning champions haven't made it out of the second round the following season. The odds are stacked against OKC repeating, and "the primary reason for that is simple," Presti told reporters. "It's very, very, very hard to win one time." The Thunder are champions now, but Presti hit a lot of the same notes at his annual preseason marathon media session that he has in the past: They're focused on incremental improvement, they expect to have ups and downs, they will be fluid and flexible with lineups as they search for new ways to win.

"We're not looking to imitate ourselves," he said, "or get tied down to what has worked in the past."

The champs are bringing back last year's entire

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