The Thunder’s past regular season was nothing short of spectacular, as their scoring prowess has made the NBA history books. The West-best club, who recorded a 68-14 mark, outscored teams by 12.9 points per match, destroying the Lakers‘ previous mark that stood for over half a century.
The Oklahoma City franchise have taken Los Angeles’ 1971-72 season record, in which they had outscored rivals by 12.3 points. Now the title contenders are set for the playoffs this weekend, after outscoring other teams by 1,055 points throughout the campaign.
“We can appreciate and be grateful for the things we’ve accomplished and still be hungry,” said coach Mark Daigneault, who hopes to conquer the club’s first-ever NBA title this upcoming month of June. “Both things can be true.”
Not only did they win the West by a convincing 16 games over No. 2 Houston, they also tied the 1972-73 Celtics for the sixth-best record in league history, only behind the 2015-16 Warriors (73-9), the 1995-96 Bulls (72-10), the 1996-97 Bulls (69-13), the 1971-72 Lakers (69-13) and the 1966-67 Sixers (68-13).
“We’ve got a young team and I think it’s important for them to understand some of the things we’ve accomplished,” the OKC tactician insisted. “Franchise record for wins is a great accomplishment. Some of the other things we’ve accomplished together are great accomplishments. We don’t take them lightly.”
Diagneault then added: “We’re grateful for them and we can still be hungry despite that. It was an unbelievable regular season. It was a special group of guys that deserve these sort of things.”
The Thunder are now set to open the playoffs at home April 20 against either Sacramento or Dallas. “I think the guys are more confident than they were last season. That’s a credit to their work and them trusting it,” SGA said. “I just try to empower them and help them be who they are.”
