The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals to capture the franchise’s first championship since relocating from Seattle. The team had the league’s best record in the regular season at 68-14 and finished very high in many team statistics.
However, Stephen A. Smith recently appeared on “First Take” and detailed why he doesn’t count the Thunder as one of the NBA’s all-time great teams.
Stale Offense Stops Thunder From Being All-Time Great NBA Team, According to Stephen A. Smith
Oklahoma City was led by its defense and league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder led the league in defensive rating (107.5) and net rating (+12.8), while Gilgeous-Alexander won the scoring title, averaging 32.7 points per game.
They breezed by the Memphis Grizzlies in the opening round of the playoffs, battled through seven games against the Denver Nuggets in the second round, and took out the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games to capture the Western Conference.
Despite capturing the NBA title in seven games as the youngest team in the league, Smith doesn’t want to give the Thunder their flowers.
Smith was asked if he saw Oklahoma City as an all-time great team.
He said, “No. I do not. I think that they are an all-time great defensive team. Overall, I look at their offense, and they would have had trouble with a lot of teams … I’m not trying to imply that they’re not great. I think they warrant the question.”
He went on to list a group of teams he felt would have beaten the Thunder, including the Golden State Warriors with Kevin Durant, the San Antonio Spurs with Tim Duncan, and the Miami Heat with LeBron James. He also mentioned the early 2000s Los Angeles Lakers and the 90s Chicago Bulls.
Smith continued, “When we’re talking about you as an all-time great team, I can’t come up with five opponents off the top of my head that would have taken you out … Offensively, it was a struggle watching them at times in these playoffs … Too many times, their offense was stale.”
.@stephenasmith says he doesn’t view the 2025 Thunder as an all-time great team 😯
“I think that they’re an all-time great defensive team, but overall, I look at their offense and they would’ve had trouble with a lot of teams.” pic.twitter.com/JHLVsXhb0D
— First Take (@FirstTake) June 23, 2025
The Thunder had the league’s third-best offensive rating during the regular season at 120.3, but that number dipped to 115.4 in the playoffs. Their defensive rating improved to 107.0, but their net rating was second-best at 8.4.
Oklahoma City is built for long-term success with a very young team and a bevvy of picks in upcoming drafts. The 2024-25 edition of the Thunder could end up being the worst team in the league’s next dynasty. Smith is confident this edition isn’t one of the NBA’s best, but he could be singing a different tune this time next year.
