The Oklahoma City Thunder are off to a 9-1 start in the 2025-26 NBA season, dominating without signs of a championship hangover. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, last year's MVP and Finals MVP, expressed dissatisfaction with how the team won the title, fueling their strong early performance. After a 132-101 victory over the Sacramento Kings, he emphasized the need for greater focus in the postseason.
The Oklahoma City Thunder's pursuit of back-to-back NBA titles began impressively with a 9-1 record through their first 10 games of the 2025-26 season, the best in the league. This hot start follows a dominant 2024-25 regular season where they won 68 games, secured the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and boasted the league's best net rating, top defense, and third-ranked offense. However, their playoff run to the championship was grueling, with seven-game series against the Denver Nuggets in the second round and the Indiana Pacers in the Finals.
In the Finals, Tyrese Haliburton's Achilles tendon tear in the first quarter of Game 7 proved pivotal for OKC's victory. Despite the triumph, Gilgeous-Alexander, who led the league in scoring and earned MVP, Western Conference Finals MVP, and NBA Finals MVP honors, felt the team underperformed. "Honestly speaking, I didn't like the way we won, if that makes sense," he said after the Kings win. "I didn't think we won an NBA championship playing our best basketball. ... We were definitely more dominant in the regular season than the postseason."
On a personal note, Gilgeous-Alexander's efficiency dropped in the playoffs, with a 49.4 effective field goal percentage compared to 56.9 in the regular season. He is averaging 33 points, six assists, and five rebounds this season while contributing to the Thunder's league-leading defensive rating of 104.8 points allowed per 100 possessions. The team is managing without second-leading scorer Jalen Williams, sidelined by offseason wrist surgery, with his return reevaluated next week.
Coach Mark Daigneault reinforced this mindset offseason-wide, urging the team to approach the year as if they had lost Game 7 to Denver. Teammate Isaiah Hartenstein praised Gilgeous-Alexander's leadership: "That's what makes him really special (as a) superstar. ... He puts the team first at all times." As the second-youngest championship team in NBA history, OKC retained 99% of its roster and leads in injury-missed games league-wide, yet shows no signs of slowing.
