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Michael Porter Jr.: I never lost consistently my whole career until I got to Brooklyn. We were losing a lot. We were young. We were building something, but we’re not there yet. So it was definitely hard, bro. It definitely was hard. But I see the future with the team. I see what we’ve got in the young dudes. I see we have the most money to spend. I think we’ve got the most. We’re the youngest team. Kind of like Oklahoma City — it took them a while to get good. I think that’ll be how it is here. But I’m with it. I want to stay in Brooklyn.
Dave McMenamin: “I've got to be more diligent than I normally am. I like my timeouts, I like going into the fourth quarter with four timeouts, I like having two in the last 30 seconds. I don't think you have the luxury [vs. OKC]” - JJ Redick on needing to call timeouts to dull Thunder runs
Khobi Price: Deandre Ayton on the environment at Paycom Center in OKC: "You can't hear yourself. It's definitely the "Thunder" for a reason. Their fans are thunderous. You can hear the floor shaking, the bleachers, you can't even hear a play call. And you gotta be super dialed in."
NBA Communications: Western Conference Semifinals schedule: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Lakers ⬇️
Western Conference Semifinals schedule: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Lakers ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Iyi76pH8ic
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 2, 2026
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Mark Medina: Lakers-Thunder series. Game 1 in OKC: Tuesday. Game 2 in OKC: Thursday. Game 3 in LA: May 9. Game 4 in LA: May 11. If necessary, Game 5 in OKC: May 13. Game 6 in LA: May 16. Game 7 in OKC: May 18
Draymond Green: I don't see anyone beating OKC. They're just like a well-oiled machine. I see Phoenix complaining about the foul calls. So while you sit and complain about foul calls, they just gonna get at you. Like, I don't see anybody beating them. I've been thoroughly impressed and enjoying watching LeBron James just control the entire game. Like entire series, the whole pace of the game. I've just been thoroughly enjoying watching them.
Duane Rankin: "It's important. Always is important, but especially versus this team. We know how they shift for each other. We know how they help each other on the defensive end. Iso ball will not get it done." Devin Booker as Suns face OKC for Game 2 after losing Game 1 by 35 points. #Suns
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Paul were teammates for one season in Oklahoma City, joining the team in separate trades in the summer of 2019. Paul quickly became Gilgeous-Alexander's mentor, showing the Thunder's future superstar how to handle things off the court, how to navigate the weight room, treatment, diet and keep his body in peak shape. "I would say more than anything, he really showed me how to be a pro," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "When he plays, he does a really good job of doing every little thing that you can to try to get an edge out there, get a win or get the better of your opponent. Whether it's knowing the rules, knowing their plays or knowing the situation in the game, what they want to run, who they want to go to -- he's just always locked into the little things on the court that help you win. So that's [how] he inspired me."
“I feel like I came into the league at the perfect time,” Kevin Durant says. “I just think with the 3-point, heliocentric offense and the five-out spacing boom, I feel like it was good for me to come in at a slower pace — from early [Oklahoma City days] until the 3-point era now. I just think it was such a drastic change in the style of play that being able to play in both of those eras of basketball was pretty sweet. It just taught me a lot about the game.”
Chris Mannix: Sam Presti's not leaving Oklahoma City for Dallas. Brad Stevens is not leaving Boston for Dallas. Could Tim Connelly be in the mix? I think maybe. We'll see how his situation plays out in Minnesota. There's a lot of moving parts out there. I think Koby Altman is someone to keep your eye on in Cleveland. Something could potentially be in play there, but this is really ownership you know, coming out and saying, well, like wow, we've got this job. Let's go big game hunting. Let's go shoot for the stars there. But I think the two biggest names are not in play. Connelly, Altman maybe. I also wouldn't dismiss Jason Kidd as a candidate for this job. I mean, Jason Kidd is very well respected for what he's done in Dallas. And he's very well liked by ownership. And if he wasn't the head coach of this team doing a great job developing Cooper Flagg, he might be in consideration more strongly. But I think the only thing holding Jason Kidd back or or preventing him from being a real candidate for this job is the fact that Dallas wants to keep him on the bench and wants to keep some stability with Cooper Flagg in his second year in the NBA. But I would still keep my eye on that. I think that's something that Jason is, let's say he's interested in. I would say he's very interested in that job in Dallas.
The Oklahoma City Thunder joined some exclusive historical company by accomplishing one goal on their checklist while defending their championship. The Thunder clinched the NBA's best record and top seed with Wednesday night's 128-110 road win over the LA Clippers. It's the third straight season that Oklahoma City earned the Western Conference's No. 1 seed, as the Thunder became only the sixth team with a three-season streak as a top playoff seed since the league went to the 16-team playoff format in 1983-84, according to ESPN Research. The other five teams -- the 1984 to 1988 Boston Celtics, 1984 to 1990 Los Angeles Lakers, 1996 to 1998 Chicago Bulls, 2008 to 2010 Lakers and 2015 to 2017 Golden State Warriors -- all won multiple championships in that span.