OKC Thunder Join Elite Company With Another First-Round Sweep

For the third year in a row, the Thunder came out of the first round unbeaten.

Apr 27, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) after defeating the Phoenix Suns in a four game sweep of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City is back in the second round after another sweep, and it joined some elite company in the process.

On Monday night, the Thunder finished off their first-round series against the Phoenix Suns with a 131-122 win in Game 4. Taking the series 4-0 to advance to the conference semifinals, the Thunder have now swept their way through the first round in three straight years.

While that’s an accomplishment on its own, it’s also quite the accomplishment looking back through history. The Thunder became only the fifth team in league history to have that kind of sustained first-round dominance.

According to NBC, the Thunder joined the Los Angeles Lakers from 1984-89, the Chicago Bulls from 1991-94 and 1996-98 and the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2015-17 as the only teams to sweep the first round in at least three consecutive years. Considering Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is already on his way to a second MVP this season, starting his postseason by joining the likes of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and LeBron James is a great sign.

Of the 59 first-round series to feature a 3-0 lead since the NBA moved to a best-of-7 in 2003, 40 have ended in sweeps. While roughly two-thirds of 3-0 first-round leads don’t lead to a Game 5, finishing off sweeps in three straight years is one of the most impressive feats there is.

Considering the 2015-17 Cavaliers are the only other team on the list to secure three straight first-round sweeps in the best-of-7 era, the Thunder are one of only two teams with the satisfaction of starting the playoffs with a 4-0 series three straight years.

Along with joining that elite list of teams to sweep the first round in three straight years in the 16-team playoff era, the Thunder also became the first team to sweep any round in three straight years since the 2017-19 Golden State Warriors. That Warriors made three Finals appearances and won two titles across that three-year span.

As the Thunder look to add their second title to their collection this year, they may even have a chance to make some more history in the sweep department. If the Thunder are able to secure another sweep in this postseason, they would be the first team to sweep multiple rounds in the same season since the 2017 Warriors swept three rounds, starting 15-0 en route to their NBA record 16-1 run to a championship.

This Thunder team has already been making history at every turn, and if this start to the postseason is any indication, that history making won’t stop anytime soon.