History Shows The Thunder Can't Be Satisfied With Only A Hot Start

Oklahoma City has had one of the best starts to a season in NBA history, and they don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. The Thunder have won games in dominating fashion, and without the presence of Jalen Williams on the court this season, this feat seems even more impressive.

Great starts in the NBA aren’t unheard of, as teams have gone on streaks early in the year before. But how do the Thunder compare to these teams, and do they have the capability to be better than them?

Here are teams that, like the Thunder, have had impressive starts to the start of the NBA season.

2002-03 Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks won their first 14 games of the 2002-03 season and were also 15-1 after 16 games, just like the Thunder. This Dallas team would go on to end the season 60-22 as they had three occasions of three loss streaks and a couple of back-to-back losses.

Headlined by Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash, this Mavs team tied the best record in the NBA this season with the San Antonio Spurs. The Mavs would end up losing to the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, falling short of the ultimate goal. Something this Thunder team can’t do is fall short, so they must not let a strong start be the only thing they are remembered for.

2024-25 Cleveland Cavaliers

Just last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers started the season on a 15-game winning streak and ended up at the 15-1 mark as well after 16 games. The Cavs would end the season at 64-18 with the second-best record in the NBA, only behind the future champions in the OKC Thunder.

Cleveland would fall in the second round of the playoffs to the Indiana Pacers, once again marking a great early-season run that couldn’t go all the way. This team had the potential with Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland, but frankly has already been forgotten.

2015-2016 Golden State Warriors

The most notable start in NBA history is the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors. They started the season with the most wins of all time as they opened the year 24-0. Led by the “Splash Brothers” in Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, this Golden State team seemed unbeatable as they ended the year with the best NBA record of all time, 73-9.

However, time proved that the unbeatable Warriors also couldn't get the ultimate job done, as they fell to LeBron James and the Cavs in the Finals.

All of these teams started the year strong, yet all of them fell short of what the Thunder wants to achieve. Oklahoma City wants to play its best basketball early on, but also must make sure it continues to play its best ball all year round.

Fast starts are awesome to have and look back on, but in the end, the Thunder must continue for their ultimate goal of a title to be truly remembered.