3 Takeaways from OKC Thunder's Series-Clinching Win Over Timberwolves

For the first time since 2012, the Oklahoma City Thunder is in the NBA Finals.

After the Thunder locked up a 128-126 thriller in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, it gained all of the momentum it needed to get past the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 on Wednesday. For now, it'll await either the Indiana Pacers or New York Knicks in the championship round.

Oklahoma City picked up a 26-9 advantage in the first quarter, which carried through the rest of the game. Its leading trio once again had a strong showing of 75 combined points, bringing the Thunder to an emphatic 124-94 win in Paycom Center.

Just six years ago, Oklahoma City's entire franchise was flipped on its head. Now, last night proved that the wait was well worth it.

Here are three takeaways from the 3-point victory:

A Milestone, but Not the End

The Thunder has gone through many different eras since its last Western Conference Finals trip in 2016, but this one isn't ending anytime soon.

It feels rather soon on the surface for a team this young to be this good already, stacking up 68 regular season wins and rolling through the Timberwolves in convincing fashion. However, this group of players continues to defy what's typically expected at this point in their careers.

Game 5 was a pivotal win for the franchise. Oklahoma City has gotten back to the promised land that's defied it for over a decade, even though it's had multiple MVP winners. Though, it certainly isn't where it wants to ultimately be.

With the opportunity clinched, the Thunder wants to bring home its first NBA Finals trophy.

"Happy for the moment but this isn’t our goal," Shai Gilgeous-Alexander following the win.

The Pacers are the expected opponent for Oklahoma City to matchup with — a team that has equally gained a huge boost of momentum in the conference finals. Now that the Thunder is here, however, anything less than a series win would feel like a huge missed opportunity.

It might have more years of competing ahead of it, but Oklahoma City is putting all of its eggs in this basket.

Hot at the Right Time

An encouraging sign heading into the finals is that the Thunder's offense isn't just hot, it's on fire.

Oklahoma City put up another impressive offensive performance as a unit, shooting just over 52% from the field and 40% from behind the arc. It got 21 attempts from the free-throw line and knocked down 18 of them.

It isn't much of a surprise that Gilgeous-Alexander finished the night with 34 points, nor Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren putting up 22 and 19, respectively. But, as the NBA has come to find out, the Thunder bench is just as integral to its success throughout the game.

Take for instance, Isaiah Joe. The guard only played six minutes in garbage time, but accumulated a quick 11 points and knocked down three 3-pointers. Alex Caruso didn't have his strongest offensive night — scoring just four points — but snagged four steals and dominated on the defensive end.

Every single player that Oklahoma City has the option to throw in can make an impact. Adding a smooth-sailing offense on top of that, and it has the capability to truly overwhelm Indiana or New York.

Shutting Down Stars

For the second-consecutive game, the Thunder defense shut opposing star Anthony Edwards down on the offensive end.

The guard only dropped 19 points on 7-of-18 shooting from the field and 1-of-7 from 3-point range in Minnesota's elimination game, failing to help lift this team to extending the series to a Game 6. Once again, a large part of that can be attributed to just how suffocating Oklahoma City can be on its attack.

No matter if it's either Tyrese Haliburton or Jalen Brunson, either perimeter scorer is going to face a ton of pressure from the Thunder. Luguentz Dort can handle the brunt of that, but nearly any switch drawn will just result in another elite defender taking the assignment.

If Oklahoma City can continue taking the other team's best player out of the equation, it's not going to find much difficulty in coming out on top in the end.