FRESH OFF BECOMING the second-youngest championship team in NBA history, the Oklahoma City Thunder gathered around a table stocked with celebratory beverages and turned their attention to sage veteran Alex Caruso .

Caruso's voice had carried a lot of weight in the Thunder's locker room since he arrived via a trade the previous summer. At 31, he was the oldest player on Oklahoma City's roster and the only one who owned an NBA championship ring, which he had flashed around the practice facility early in the season as a motivational tactic.

Caruso was also the only player in the room who had a clue about how to pop a champagne bottle.

In fact, for Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams , this would be the first time they had ever taken so much as a sip of alcohol. Their inexperience,

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