The full NBA schedule has been released, and the Thunder are opening the season against the Houston Rockets. In addition, they will finally get a Christmas game this year, and it will be against the San Antonio Spurs. Last season, the Thunder were still the underdogs, and teams still doubted whether they were ready or still too young. However, that has all changed with their first championship since moving to Oklahoma.
Now, OKC will enter the season with a target on their back, something they haven’t faced before. Will the Thunder be able to survive the pressure going into next season, or will it finally get the best of them? Let’s dive into why the Thunder should be able to, with a little cause for concern.
Can the Thunder Survive the Pressure Heading into Next Season?
The Thunder have 34 National TV Games
The Thunder are entering the season with the most nationally televised games. This means all eyes are going to be on them, and with that comes criticism, which builds pressure. Additionally, they already have a target on their back with winning the title, and teams are going to give them their best shot. The Thunder are finally getting the recognition they deserve, even for being a small-market team; however, it will come at a price with the pressure that comes with it.
The Thunder will also have the odds stacked against them heading into next season. There have been seven different champions since the 2017-18 season. Furthermore, those seven have yet to pass the second round after winning the title. Not only are the Thunder fighting against those odds, they are also fighting against the pressure of the national TV games, and finally, the big targets on their backs.
They Have Handled Every Test so Far
Thunder fans should still feel extremely confident in this team’s chances of repeating next year, because they have handled every test so far and passed. Last postseason was a flurry of big tests, and every challenge or obstacle that was thrown their way, they overcame them.
The first test game in the Nuggets series was when they were down 2-1, heading into the fourth quarter down and looking at a 3-1 deficit. However, they rallied back to tie the series at 2-2 and did the same thing in Game 5: winning the fourth quarter and executing better down the stretch against the more experienced Nuggets to go up 3-2.
The next test was a Game 7 against the Nuggets, when anything could have happened. The Thunder didn’t panic and stayed true to their identity, pulling out a huge win to advance to the Conference Finals. After that, in the Western Conference Finals, after taking a 2-0 series lead and losing Game 3 in a blowout fashion, Game 4 became their next test: would they be able to respond on the road? The answer to that was “yes” as they won Game 4 and then Game 5 to advance to the NBA Finals.
And in the Finals, they had to pass the same test in the Nuggets series by avoiding a 3-1 deficit, winning a crucial Game 5, and then a winner-take-all Game 7. All of these tests that they passed will only help them next season when they face new obstacles.
Why There Should Be Some Concern
However, even though Thunder fans should feel confident with them going into next season, there are still areas for concern. The first one is that teams will now try to build themselves up to beat the Thunder. Every time a team wins a championship or has the chance to become a dynasty, that is the team all other 29 try to stop. It has already started to happen this offseason with teams in the West making big moves.
Another reason is that the Thunder are banking on a lot of internal growth from players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren, among others. If the Thunder aren’t able to improve enough internally, teams will have an opening to pass them up.
The final reason is that it is easy for championship teams to just coast to the NBA playoffs and not take the regular season seriously. This is a trap that the Thunder have to avoid at all costs, because it can come to hurt them in the playoffs. These are the concerns the Thunder will have to overcome if they want a chance to repeat and be the next NBA dynasty.
The Last Word on if the Thunder can Survive the Pressure
The Thunder will head into the 2025-2026 season facing challenges they have never faced before. It will be very interesting to see how the team handles them. Will they be able to survive the pressure, or will the pressure finally catch up to them? Only time will tell what that answer is; however, one thing is for sure: out of the last seven champions, the Thunder are in the best position to repeat and become a dynasty.
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