Just three years after the Oklahoma City Thunders scored one of the worst Western Conference records in the Western Conference, it is now the best in the West.

The Thunder defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday 124-94 to win the five-game final and advance to its first NBA final since 2012.

Oklahoma City will face Indiana or New York; the Pacers lead the 3-1 series. Regardless of its final opponent, Oklahoma City will host 1 and 2 games on June 5 and June 8 with its best playoff seeds. If necessary, it will host 5 and 7 competitions on June 16 and 22.

Oklahoma City's lead was as high as 39 points, turning Wednesday's otherwise tense decision game into a blowout, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 34 points, who was named the NBA's most valuable player last week.

Even by NBA standards, the fate of the franchise and the windows to win the championship may change quickly, with the Oklahoma City redevelopment already hitting the finals at an astonishing pace. In 2021, it won 22 games in a shared archive season, the fourth NBA record and the team's fewest wins since 2008 from Seattle to Oklahoma. The following year, it won 24 games, up from Phoenix.

Since then, Oklahoma City has taken another step forward every year, winning 40 wins in 2023, followed by last season’s 57 season, the most in the conference, only losing in the second round of the playoffs. This season, Oklahoma City's upward trajectory continued to win 68 games, ranking fourth in NBA history. Of the other six teams that have won at least many times in a season, four have won the NBA Finals. Oklahoma City will have the chance to join that select club.

Oklahoma City has not won an NBA title since its relocation in 2008. In 2012, the Thunder won the finals in the roster, with three players of the future Most Valuable Players but lost to the Miami Heat.

The current thunder featured a MVP from Gilgeous-Alexander and featured its unique roster of depth and versatility, which was intentionally built during the leap period. In addition to Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City also received a draft pick from the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019 in exchange for superstar Paul George, an industry that is the hub for Oklahoma franchise.

One day after the deal, the Thunder went on to sign a decision to sign a roster of players from the unsigned Arizona State Government Lu Dort, who later became a perennial full defense candidate while supporting the NBA best defense in the regular season and playoffs.

Three years after Oklahoma City won Gilgeous-Alexander and a series of draft picks, one option from the Clippers’ pick became Jalen Williams, who received All-Star honors this year while becoming the Thunder’s second leading scorer. The 2022 loss helped the Oklahoma City draft pick, which was once used to draft Chet Holmgren, whose third-leading scorer, who scored 22 points on Wednesday.

Oklahoma City opened the 2025 playoffs with the Memphis Grizzlies surpassing Denver in seven games in the conference semifinals. Oklahoma City faced Minnesota's final to lead 3-1, before defeating the Timberwolves on Wednesday.