The Athletic: Are the Thunder on track to have the best title defense ever?

Editor’s Note: Read more NBA coverage from The Athletic here . The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its teams.

***

Yes, it’s early in the 2025-26 NBA season. Yes, several teams could put it all together to win the championship. And there will come a point when we wonder whether the Oklahoma City Thunder are even the best team in the Western Conference, as many heavy-hitters are looking to ride the wave of competitive balance (seven different champions in the last seven years) to take down what OKC is trying to accomplish.

However, the Thunder are looking to demolish the concept of parity and everything in their path before the boogeyman second apron comes calling for key portions of their nearly flawless roster. After posting one of the most domin