How the Thunder failed to win a title after drafting three MVPs in a row
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- Опубліковано 21 вер 2024
- The Oklahoma City Thunder had Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden on the same team under the age of 24. They made a run to the 2012 NBA Finals before losing to LeBron James and the Miami Heat. From there, it was all downhill for OKC.
Written and produced by Mike Imhoff
Directed and edited by Jiazhen Zhang
Graphics and edit support by Mike Das
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Imagine showing this video to someone in 2010
Milos Milojevic They wouldn’t have believed u
Milos Milojevic they would be like say sike right now
@Notorious1503 Everything was blown into a million pieces.
2012 looked like it was the beginning of something great. Turns out it was their peak.
I'm living in 2010 right now and watching this on my iPhone 3GS and this is clearly fake. lmao the Warriors a 73 win team? Steph has ankles made of glass xD. Get real.
To think that they drafted 3 mvps in 3 straight drafts. That's wild. Something that's unlikely to happen ever again. In ANY sport
Dwayne Jones GD. Crazy.
Dwayne Jones not sure what's crazier, the fact they had those 3 on the same team playing together or the fact all 3 are gone now
@moabite sounds That's partly luck, also just damn good drafting by Presti. He got Serge Ibaka at 24 in the same draft as Russ and also picked Steven Adams outside the lottery from the pick they got for Harden. Presti has an impressive track record at the draft, so if you're going to trade away your entire franchise for draft picks, at least you have the master picking them.
And what's more crazy is that they lost 1 mvp player. Harden didn't deserve mvp lebron did that year and westbrook triple was overrated. Kd different story 100 percent earned and deserve
False
And now We’ve seen every possible duo between those 3 players
that’s actually crazy
And neither as a trio or as any duo they have won the championship, except if the Nets win it this year
KD and Russ/Russ and KD - 2013-2016
Harden and Russ/Russ and Harden - 2020
Durant and Harden/Harden and Durant - 2021
I still blame harden for this, if he wasn't so selfish and take a little less they would've stayed together and won at least one chip. Look at harden now still no chip
@@sebastianhinojosa1329 How's wanting to be paid/recognized for your efforts being selfish?
Beard gave up a starting spot, gave them life with their second string, and was the third wheel, when he was clearly capable of being at least #2.
Nothing wrong with what he did, if they paid him instead of Ibaka first, they probably would've won at least once together.
But them's going on the shelf of other what if's.
OKC has a 3-1 series lead vs golden state... snd blows it. Then Durant joins that team. Still amazed to this day by this sequence of events
Still Westbrook fault
Weakest move ever! KD is the worst superstar ever! He was a HUGE part of that choke
Tack on that GSW team falls to the Cavs after coming back 3-1. Hollywood couldn’t script it better
@@x2thezful Westbrook aint shoot 12-30 and 10-32 in close out games now did he
Durant dropped 40 and they still lost in game 5
The dynasty that never was.
i always thought kd harden russ ibaka brooks presti would be the 2010's manu duncan parker bowen r.c buford popovich spurs from 02-08.... it turns out they could of been better....harden was so much better than manu russ was so much better than parker kd was better than later prime duncan ibaka was better than bowen ...they could of kept jeff green and have reggie jackson on top of it aka who they drafted in 2011 and by 2012-2013 was a great young player for them ..we never got to see harden reggie russ kd ibaka together as a playoff unit..that would of been scary in 2013.....that would of won 5-6 rings together in 7 years
@@razkable even if they had stayed together I couldn't see them winning more than 2 titles maybe 3.
@@oscarmarroquin4374 I think Russell Westbrook still ruins it, but, they get a Championship out of it.
Tragic
@@razkable I think the most they could win is 3 Championships in 10+ years. You don't win more than 3 unless you have Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Shaq, Kobe, and a lot of luck. Westbrook would limit them to 3 championships because that is their limit aka westbrook.
This video will be in the spank bank of thousands of Sonics fans.
Yes, and no... it's complicated.
Yall getting a hockey team so a nba team shouldn't be out of the question
@@pinkpeacock313
David Stern got his revenge against the Supersonics, and all it took was a few bad faith deal making Okies, plus some major fraud to be committed against a loyal fanbase...
Yeah man you love to see it
@@cheef825 Collapses are all about depression.
"I'm here to stay" - Paul George
So did Westbrook say... They betrayed their word... KD was pragmatic, courageous and sincere
@A Cat he chose to wrong team at the wrong moment,it is too late for him, he'll not be the first great to retire with 0 ring
@A Cat Ye they focused on building a brick wall in Houston
LOL
PG13 should make stand-up
@Bruno Fawks unfortunately it has been proved that hunger is not enough... Westbrook has never been hungrier than when he lined up triple doubles like sheep on a season and was voted MVP,the talent, opportunity , company and other spices got into the soup and there will be teams which have clearly more of that chemistry than Rockets
The weirdest thing is that I used to root for Durant, Harden, and Westbrook when they all played together; now, I don’t root for a single one of them. Damn the Thunder screwed this one up.
Damn the 30 for 30 that ESPN is bout to make ten years from now focusing on the Thunder is going to be wild.
either the thunder messed up or curry was just crazy then lmao
@@jay-von8367 Thunder messed up before curry was even a thing. OKCs chance for a title honestly ended when they traded Harden. After that it was over. Even if everyone didn't think so that planted the seeds for KD wanting to leave and so on.
The should have fired Brooks after that failed attempt
Well if they trade kyrie for russ they will be the new big three well not new but new
You forgot to mention the fact that Oladipo is an all star and Ibaka is a champ now
Dont forget domantas sabonis who they also traded away with victor oladipo is not bad at all either he averaged 14 points and 9 rebounds last season
@@mikeview206 and he was a candidate for sixth man of the year
@@mikeview206 The Sabonis son can ball. White Randle
@@Vudoo13 yeah russ made him a catch and shoot player because russ is ballhogging and statpadding, it is great he develop in pacers.
This was a video about the 3 MVPs though. Those facts your mention are more like footnotes in the context of the video.
Damn the 30 for 30 that ESPN is bout to make ten years from now focusing on the Thunder is going to be wild.
Wild
Wild. It’s crazy if they would have just signed all four and swallowed the luxury tax. They would’ve been running the NBA even right now
Wild. It’s crazy if they would have just signed all four and swallowed the luxury tax. They would’ve been running the NBA even right now
Wild. It’s crazy if they would have just signed all four and swallowed the luxury tax. They would’ve been running the NBA even right now
Wild. It’s crazy if they would have just signed all four and swallowed the luxury tax. They would’ve been running the NBA even right now
Losing 3 MVPs that had 8 scoring titles & 3 assist titles between them is a real tragedy...
And all without having won a title.
@@mattnorris7124 kd 2 titles wdym???
@@kookkook2476 OKC have never won a title even when they had KD, Russ & Harden. Russe & Harden are also the only players from the 2012 starting 5 that haven't won a title. KD has 2 with GSW, Perkins won 1 with Boston prior to arriving in OKC & Ibaka won with Toronto.
@@mattnorris7124 Harden ain't in the starting 5 right? Sefolosha was the starter.
4 assist titles now :(
“I’m here to hit the backboard” - Paul George
Savage
Pandemic p
Playoff P
@@ichkwnd3805 Injuries definitely helped them, but PG and all definitely showed how Kawhi has all the help he needs.
@@dusk6159 Speaking of which, it's gonna be the Paul George show next year for the Clippers. Kawhi's surgery is gonna keep him out.
Time Traveler: "What year is this?"
2012 Thunder fan: "It's 2012 and my Thunder made the NBA Finals!!"
Time Traveler: "Oh, this is before Durant, Westbrook, Harden, and Ibaka left the team."
2012 Thunder fan: "... *please say sike"*
Haha😅🤣😆....sike it's true.
@TheShadoes4321 2012 Thunder fan: "How many championship did they win?"
Time Traveler: (Makes weird face) .. uhm well you know, it depends.. KD have 2 ring for sure
2012 Thunder fan: "great. It mean they won 2 championship right?'
Time Traveler: "But KD does it with GSW super team"
2012 Thunder fan: "hooh you sonofabitch"
@@henryy425 Time Traveler: And Ibaka won one with the Raptors
2012 Thunder Fan: Haha, nice joke
It would be even more hilarious if Westbrook and Harden win 1 with the Rockets. You could tell that 2012 thunder fan that group has 4 rings... only with different teams :D
@@goodjoejoe Actually I want to see the Thunder win it with Chris Paul. Couldn't do it with Westbrook and George, but somehow win it with the guys they got for trading them away.
Never forget how good those mid-2010s Grizzlies were.
Early-2010s
They where good but didn’t know how to draft
Zach Randolph carried the team.
@@bigblue9996 Rudy gay*
They were good until around 2016
Me, last week: Haha look at how bad the Knicks screwed up a potential championship run
Me, today: This might be a little too traumatic for me to handle
It's crazy that even after losing 3 MVPs that this team was still very competent with SGA, CP3, Dennis the Menace, Danilo and Steven Adams. Goes to show how teams can multiply their assets by drafting well.
They only drafted Steven and his pick was in the harden trade
And theyre very good at making trades now (unlike the Harden mistake). They took advantage of the Kawhi/Clippers situation to completely rip off the Clippers for Paul George, and got another inch of picks trading Westbrook for Chris Paul.
And now they’re the best in the west lol
Roy, Aldridge, and Oden:
The dynasty that never took off.
thegreatcalvinio it would basically just be that they BRoy and Oden had weak knees and that Aldridge couldnt lead a team even though he wanted to.
Roy was a monster. Portland screwed up by picking Oden over Durant tho. I know Oden had serious potential but KD looked like he would become exactly what he is in college. I think that was a bad pick. They tried to play it safe. Same as when they picked Bowie over Jordan. Back then a 7 foot something center was very valuable
Should have never been Oden given the info they had on his injury history and desire to actually play basketball, and that's without even considering their franchise history of taking injury-prone bigs over legendary scorers
M. L. It was a massive gamble. But to be fair if Greg Oden stayed healthy he would have been remembered as a great big man. The minutes he played he was a monster. You could slow him down a bit but you couldn’t stop him.
Could have been something great
This is the NBA gods cursing the Thunder for leaving Seattle in the dust
no mention of ibaka winning a title vs kd in 2019 and then him breaking his achilies?..smdh...I feel that needs to be stated..he mattered too
@slight o hand Seattle is better than a lot of cities.
it’s not our fault they couldn’t get enough money for an arena
Hahaha hahaha
@@razkable achillies isnt a bone. u dont break it. *Tear
Imagine how many people from Seattle got this notification and immediately got their lotion and tissue paper ready
:D
Why?
@@chaselionzo4401 Watch SonicsGate.
@@AutoArtemAuto what is that?
@@chaselionzo4401 This. ua-cam.com/video/s9Dp20ydm1E/v-deo.html. No more questions; just watch it and you'll get your answers
Seattle losing their team is the real tragedy
Seattle native here. Yup, still salty
Sucks to suck
I'm not even an okc fan but this is horror story. So many unlucky situations. So much potential. I do think kd should have run it back with okc against golden state they could have beat them.
Durant didn’t want to play with Westbrook anymore and after Westbrook’s recent failures can you blame him. I know your upset where Durant ended up signing but it was the right choice for Durant and Westbrook to split up
NO IT WAS OVER... IBAKA HAD GONE
Koh Smoger Durant has said multiple times the reason wasn’t Westbrook, it was the lack of help he and Westbrook had
@A Cat Durant is wiser than we think,he is narcistic but he never accuses anyone even when the evidence is there... We all know that he left Warriors because of Green's disrespect and he might have been put under pressure to rush back into the game where he got hurt... But he will NEVER STATE IT CLEARLY
@@kohsmoger1567 Only in this toxic media culture can you say someone with back to back to back triple double seasons has "recent failures" you are a clown
"Lillard ended OKC season" ? What do you mean? He ended the entire franchise 😐
Tsalis Abida Nurdin all that to get swept by a KD less warrior team
wackeywaffle01 YEAH ITS NOT LIKE THEY WON 73 GMS WITH THE SAME CORE WITHOUT KD
riqo steel the clippers and the rockets beat the warriors twice in their series
The Warriors own the Blazers and have for years, not really a surprise.
Put them in rebuild mode
As a Sonics fan and Seattle Native, this both pleases and disappoints me.
Me too, mate... over a decade later, and still no Supersonics 2.0. WTF, Adam Silver?!
why the disappointment?
yep. okc completely wasted what they were handed when they stole the soncis. Durant and Westbrook and you can't build a championship team around that? glad kd moved on and got his regardless of how he went about it.
@@TDC5 He saw the plane was going to crash, and, fortunately bailed out.
Hopefully there's an expansion soon. I'm from Philly but I feel so much sympathy for you guys. I can't imagine how that would feel. At least you got to see these punks grossly underachieve for a decade.
OKC is a perfect example of how basketball isn't just about getting good players, it's about making a good team.
There teams werent built right they had a lotta of non shooters
@@letstalk140 I say the them look what kd and Russ was able to produce and play like with spacing (kd on warriors) (russ on rockets) if they had that on okc they would have be an already greater team, they was already a good team but they could have been better.
They had a great team just injuries and bad timing to be a contender and harden and Durant leaving is why they never won
@@letstalk140 they coulda won without shooters
That was the problem had one too many all stars all of a sudden right before the TV deal so 4 extra mill to keep James was alot just bad timing
You guys should do a show called Rise to show how dynasties got built! The patriots, the spurs, showtime lakers, 90s bulls, 80s 9ers 70s steelers, i think it would be a really good show!
you should do it instead of giving them ideas
@@thisismarkbro Maybe he doesn't have the platform.
So, Rewinder?
Srinivas Suresh 2010s Warriors
Matthew Daley it’s called UA-cam
"Thunder ownership owed me money. That's why they didn't wanna pay Harden and ultimately traded him."
- TK Kirkland.
I heard they didn’t wanna give Harden an extra $4M I was like Daaayum
-Keefe D
"Clay Bennett owed me 1 Billion $....So I told his ass to sell the team"
- TK
You're incorrect that was never said
May I have extra fries with that please?
-DJ Akademiks
@@bookswithbenjamin8902 ?May I please hear an original joke or a serious reply to the subject matter at hand and not some stupid trolling comment with no basis?"
-every rational human being in existence
10 Years ago I would’ve never thought to see Westbrook on a different team, LeBron in LA, KD on the Nets, and CP3 being passed around like a blunt.
CP3 being passed around like a blunt.
Poor CP3 lol
BUSINESS,NOW WESTBROOK AND ALL THE BLIND GOSSIPERS CAN UNDERSTAND THAT KD FELT ON TIME THAT IT WAS OVER, THEY HAD TRIED IT ALL AND THE COLLAPSE COULD NOT BE AVOIDED, AFTER WHICH WINDOWS WOULD BE CLOSED (WESTBROOK WILL FINISH HIS CAREER WITH PERSONAL RECORDS BUT 0 RING)... DURANT TOOK THE DOLLARS AND THE RING OPPORTUNITY, WHICH ANYONE WOULD'VE DONE... HE COULD NOT HATE ON A TEAM THAT JUST PLAYED WITH MORE TEAM EFFORT THAN HIS BUT WESTBROOK HAD ALL THE REASONS TO HATE THE TEAM THAT MADE HIM "APPEAR LIKE A CLOWN, SHOOTING THREE STRAIGHT 3 DAGGERS IN HIS FACE AND TAKING THE BALL FROM HIS HOG HANDS TO CALL IT GAME OVER"... EVERYBODY FELT BAD FOR THE TEAM BUT WESTBROOK FELT BAD FOR HIMSELF... IF I WHERE ME TOO I WOULD NOT ACCEPT TO BE THE ACOLYTE HE'D USE IN HIS PERSONAL REVENGE (THIS IS BASKETBALL NOT TAICHI OR KUNGFU!)... NOW THAT HE IS PROVED TO HIMSELF THAT HE CAN DEFEND HE LEFT (WHERE THE HECK IS LOYALTY THEN?).... DON'T MESS UP WITH OUR MINDS, NBA IS PURE BUSINESS
Forgot to mention how they could've traded Kendrick Perkins and kept Harden because Perkins was getting 13 mil a year but OKC thought a center who averaged 4 points and 5 boards getting 13 mil a year was worth more than Harden.
Perk was more like 7 and 7.5 a night but yeah
Perkins leadership was a big key to the developement of OKCs big 3
@@slender289 And his presence also ended the OKC Big 3. They could have Amnestied Perkin's contract to keep Harden. They chose Perkins over Harden.
@@shorewall it wasn't Presti's fault management preferred to overpay Ibaka & Perkins instead of managing how to keep the main core intact, the ownership didnt help as well since he didnt wanna pay the luxery tax not knowing that'll cost him and his team to lose out on their dynasty.
Before it even blossomed, sad end to that era but OKC has learned its lesson with new management & staff and the owner not being cheap anymore.
The thunder's young core will be an upcoming dynasty in the making really bright future with Presti having more control and reigns on the team.
Presti sets a culture & environment as well that players can grow and develop that'll give them a mindset of always be humble and focus on how to keep improving every year.
@@slender289 And his contract literally killed the OKC big 3. Think it wasn't worth it.
Drafting 3 straight MVPs and not one of them was 1st overall. Durant - 2nd, Westbrook 4th, Harden 3rd.
russ and harden were steals...nobody had either of them top 4 in their draft boards...russ wasn't top 5...
KD was the only one who played on the sonics..Harden And Russ never got any playing time really..honestly I dont even remember harden being on the team
@@one7deep7savage7 A lot of people have forgotten the Rockets WEREN'T the team that drafted him.
@@razkable 2009 draft was a deep draft. Hell if you say that to Harden at 4th pick, how much more Curry at 7th pick?
One Deep Savage kd was drafted in 07 so he the only one who had a chance, russ got drafted one year later then they went to OKC and then harden a year after russ
So Pat Bev really ended the Thunder before Dame.
dame the final nail in the coffin
@TG YoungLad salty OKC fan
@TG YoungLad Pat Would've Gotten Wrecked By LeBron James A 6"8 250 Pound Forward
@TG YoungLad lol, get rekt, u said u gæ
TG YoungLad the Beverly hit was a loose ball was a accident seriously why do salty okc fans hate him that much they are the thunder they do thunder things like drafting 3 successive mvp’s and still making 1 finals and winning a game and blew a 3-1 lead
This is like the Seattle Mariners of the mid '90's when they had Randy Johnson, A-Rod, Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez all at the same time and never won anything.
@ Stephan bayley if we would have had a second dominant starter, we would have won multiple titles
It was because they were the mariners, they’re not allowed to appear in the World Series
Harry Engel let’s not forget that they traded away David Ortiz
Then the year after most of those dudes left they got Ichiro. Team could've been the best ever.
or the a's with the big three pitchers
sam presti boutta go on a rampage with his 20+ draft picks
They finna get 3 MVPs on both their NBA team and their G League team
His plan is to draft every single pick, not leaving anything for any other team and therefore winning the championship by exhaustion
He better
Lol presti bout the break the league,drafting 3 mvps and losing them without any chips is something Sam will never get over
1st round picks
Seattle's loving this video. The Thunder ownership group screwed over one of the most passionate fan bases in the country.
For sure.
More like Seattle should’ve fought for their team better
@@DaffyTaffy93 the people at the time didn't have 500 million dollars to spend on a stadium
@@DaffyTaffy93 wrong. They were held hostage and manipulated by David Stern
@@quintondorsey7362 True That😎
I still don’t and never will understand why Durant went to the warriors. They clearly could have beat them. You don’t just accidentally go up 3-1 against one of the greatest teams of all time. Kd could have kept his legacy even greater so sad.
Great Value just didn’t like playing with Westbrook.
@@wadeboshiverson That's a lie. He said from his official twitter account that he didn't like the coach and organisation. He said that it was only him and Russ.
He realized he couldnt beat Lebron + Kyrie with his cast at Thunder. Even if you beat GSW u still got Lebron on the other side. Or maybe he wanted easy rings. Who knows?
L T then why did he and Westbrook completely stop talking to each other? Westbrook got into a power struggle with him and wanted to be the man. That’s why he left
@@wadeboshiverson That's completely untrue. I've already told you that KD said it himself that he didn't leave because of Russ. And just so you know that KD thinking he was on a burner account so he wasn't being diplomatic. There's no reason he would lie on a what he thought was a burner account. You could go research this because it's true. The reason Russ got angry at him was that he told Russ that he's going to resign the same day that it was announced that he's going to the team that beat them. So it was a double stab in the back. Russ and KD are cool now though.
5:33 Damn! Steven Adams Pre-Aquaman years
and he used to be dirty
And he used to be gay
And he used to be Asian
Lmaooo
@@swish3142 But Steven Adams Changed His Ways
It’s crazy that this team only went to the Finals once, they were stacked with talent from the starters to the bench.
Bench? Lol
@@milshelton-du7wf yeah, they had Derek Fisher, Reggie Jackson, Sefolosha, Ibaka etc. A lot of good role players that came off the bench and got the job done.
Now Serge Ibaka is going to win MVP
NBA Champion Serge Ibaka :)
How hungry is he
QUEENDOM much better? One mvp solidifies you as a hof. His Olympic medal means more than the Larry O’Brien
QUEENDOM lmao no
@@cokeabuser1319 Yeah, that's just not going to happen.
Grew up in Seattle and was a lifelong Sonics fan.
The real villian in the Sonics move was Howard Schultz.
Starbucks was having financial troubles and he took a higher offer from the out of state offer.
OKC will struggle with the small market.
The city of Seattle will get a new team within a couple years.
The real villain was David Stern. He knew that Clay Bennett and Co were being purposefully fraudulent to Howard Schultz during the sale of the team, and once this info was publicly outed, Stern could have voided the sale (he's done it before, and he did it after when Chris Hansen bought the Kings), but he refused to do that. Stern finally got this revenge against Seattle, that he had wanted since losing the court case to keep Spencer Haywood from being signed by the Supersonics... Stern knows how to hold a grudge, because he is a twisted little cretin-of-a-man.
Howard Schultz is a doucher, though. I really despise a guy like Howard... He is one of the biggest narcissists in the world.
@@insertcolorfulmetaphor8520 David Stern committed many sins, not least hanging around five years too long, at the minimum.
OKC should just move back to Seattle. Watch. In two years, no one is going to show up to Thunder games.
philly_ sports in 2 years OKC fans are going to be at games to watch a top 3 pick make a run at rookie of the year
This is quickly becoming my favorite series on SB Nation.
This series is why I even watch SB Nation content in the first place.
OKC downfall was trading Jeff Green for Perkins in 2011, Perks big contract was the reason Presti could not pay James Harden the extra 4Million on his extension in 2012.
The thunder:
Blew a 3-1 lead against GSW
Lost:
Carmelo Anthony
Paul George
Russell Westbrook
Kevin Durant
Serge lbaka
Victor Oladipo
James Harden
Edit: thx for all the likes!
Ik Carmelo had a very good year the year before the only reason why he didnt fit in bc that coach didn't know what to do with his play style Brooks was a much better coach then donovan
Carmelo was a cancer to the organization, Serge Ibaka is a solid role player so he doesn’t belong on this list, Victor Olidipo was a decent player but wasn’t a star at the time, and although James Harden is an MVP today he wasn’t a superstar back when he was in Okc so in reality the only players worth mentioning in this is Paul George, Russell Westbrook, and Kevin Durant.
Z U C C tell me how Carmelo was cancer to the team
They be getting rid of players a year to early that's the problem. They don't care about the players. Look at all the players they traded
Losing Carmelo is a GAIN, bro.
The entire city of Seattle cursed the franchise.
@Lin kuei warrior gaming Seattle got a hockey team first. ua-cam.com/video/SUswvmPyTx4/v-deo.html
@Lin kuei warrior gaming rooting for croney billionaire owners uprooting a team because the public wouldn't pay for a new arena is certainly a take
@@andrewknox92 a take it is 😂
What a douche is Lin ghei
Lin ghei - learn to not have stupid opinions before expecting praise for your stupid opinions
ALFredo Cuomo, sorry but you sound pathetic. As a local Oklahoman who lived in Washington during that time in service in the Army I can attest to the fact that there’s a reason Seattle was voted worst sports city ever in 2008.
The SuperSonics had just left being second The worst team ever the previous year getting second in the lottery and allowing Sam Presti to draft Kevin Durant. The Washington State Cougars went 2-11 with their only wins coming against Portland State and the 0-12 Washington Huskies. The Seattle Seahawks were equally as bad going 4-12.
The Thunder franchise, it’s players, staff, coaches, owners thank God Every day they are in a city who actually cares about them and sell out every game even if they’re a 3rd tier team as opposed to being stuck with a bunch of hipsters who could honestly care less.
‘My, my, my how the turn tables have....’
🤦🏼♂️
*This will go down as one of the greatest What-if's in NBA history, if Sam Presti wasn't being a cheap bastard, this core would've won a ton of championships.*
thattwouldbe clay benet
That's on the owner. GM did what he could given the situation
I think the greatest what if is how many more titles would Kobe and Shaq won if they were still together and squashed the beef
Money comes first in every business. Trophies and championship are simply added bonus. Basketball in itself is a sport but the organization that mandates that, the NBA, is a business. So i think you cant really blame the whole misfortune to the franchise alone. The players, themselves, choose to leave the franchise because if the players werent after for the money in the first place, none of those players would leave even if a larger deal was right at their door step.
@@nanodesu9031 he came off the bench and put his ego aside. All he wanted was the money everyone else got
Incredible breakdown bro. I love these recaps. Makes you realize how rich NBA history is. 🙌🏾👍🏾
Anybody else realize at 7:19 there’s a pic of Aaron Hernandez and an article most likely about the double homicide charges based on the dates
This is why I came to the comments section
J J same. Paused the video straight away
Glad to know I wasn't alone. I was tripping when I saw Hernandez with the Netflix jawn.
Seen that y I’m in the comments
Yeah
What a tragedy... the team left Seattle, 3 mvps left the franchise. Coach of the year left too. A Shakespearean tragedy
Talk about collapse, there's some blurred out Aaron Hernandez news around 7:16
He caused his own collapse, like Jeffrey Epstein.
Was looking for a comment mentioning that haha
My dad noticed it while watching with me..
Well done. Gr8 observation
Good to see him drop by, you know?
This team help produced 3 regular season MVPS, 2 NBA champions, one finals MVP and 3 of the greatest scorers in NBA history.
and serge aswell
And multiple scoring championship
Durant: 2x Champ
Ibaka: 1x Champ
Harden: None
Westbrook: None
@si Markeyan he ended up being their most important player
KSI Starscream5 wasn’t there most important player as you can see when steph missed games there record was way worse then Durant not playing and u can honestly say draymond is there most important player and the soul of the team he was there best player but def not most important
@@winneryoualoser2723 shut up
Wheres that energy and performance this season?
Hes a good leader, I'll never take that away from Draymond.
But I remember kd hitting daggers in 2018 and 2019 game 3.
He was the reason it wasnt close.
Warriors were great without KD. But bron could have had another ring or 2
Slick Rick you shut up dum ass who said draymond was good enough to Lead a team again you don’t know basketball we were debating the most important player again you don’t know basketball
KD: *0 champs
The phony toys he call rings and fMVPs doesn't count
Should’ve just given harden the 5-6 million more smh
They were real dumb
Mr0nTime that would’ve completely altered NBA history.
or promise him a starting spot. I mean thabo really wasn't worth losing harden. And I'm pretty sure Nick Collison was there on the bench with a 10m+ contract
@@scatterthoughts Yup
@A Cat He was already sacrificing his playing time, he shouldn't be expected to give up more. The NBA is a business.
It's crazy to think that this great team, has only 2 players with rings. Serge and KD
Perkins
Oh he's doesn't countok
Perkins too, even though KD ones are just asterisks like the Warriors ones
Dusk TheHunter KD balled out in the finals Perkins was garbage he got carried by the big 3
@@burntchiggas393 And Ibaka did a great job but it is angering how underrated he is since he left OKC
KD*
The rebuild since then has been absolutely incredible. OKC fighting for the top 4 seed in the west while being one of the youngest team in the league. Let’s hope this one gets us a championship
Fr bro! ⚡️🆙
👋
Portland Trail Blazers the Blazers commented on a video. Wow.
Thunder probably would have went to the Finals in 2013 if not for Westbrook's injury. Basketball is a fragile sport.
Same in 14 with the Ibaka injury and in 15 with the Durant injury. Not to mention the fact that KD and Russ choked in 2016, which led to KD leaving for the team that beat him. Just a string of bad bad injury luck. You can blame Presti for the Harden trade, but they were better in 2013 without Harden and being healthy than any other year after that.
Austin Kimmell why blame Sam for the Harden trade? Sam wasn’t going to be the one paying him. That was Clay Bennett that didn’t want to pay him. Sam just tried to make the best of it and get something back.
you can say if not for kds broken feet in 2015 or ibaka hurting himself against the clips in the closeout game 6 in la in 2014 they make the finals..heck roberson getting hurt ruined the past 2 years especially last year...thast why you don't trade harden..hes insurance and maybe with him they dont get hurt cause less of a load
klay made some insane shots too lets be real...klay is scary when hes feeling it @David Stephens
Yeah Patrick Beverly he’s dirty player
Leaving Seattle was a huge mistake..then relocating to OKC was the nail in the coffin.
@orionh3000 And OKC is loser
Seattle: *laughs*
Also Seattle: *cries and sleeps*
I thought they were sleepless
The collapse of the Thunder is the most Seattle thing to happen to a non-Seattle team. The Seattle curse is real.
Now that Seattle doesn't have a Basketball Team, The Basketball Gods came down on OKC like Thunder to force them to lose.
Nah Seattle's still in worse shape they get to watch big 3 basketball.
Jimmy Hall at least they apparently have cool sharks in the water sometimes
@Jimmy Hall yeah the home of Microsoft and Amazon is a shithole. OKC is literally home to earthquakes and oil leaks
@@danielweiss3810 not to mention starbucks
David Johnson And the Seahawks, Mariners, Sounders AND an NHL team within 2 years
As on OKC Thunder fan this pains me alot. 😭😭😭
Brian Allen Francia Me too
Looks like Seattle got the last laugh in this
As a Sonics fan it pained me a lot when they bailed on us
*a lot
Welp im a knicks fan buddy get use to it for awhile 😂😂
Congratulations Serge. The only one of the 4 that won a true championship.
2016 was the last time I was really invested in the NBA. The record-setting Warriors, LeBron and Kyrie in Cleveland, KD and Westbrook in OKC, Kawhi and Duncan Spurs, Lob City Clippers, Lillard leading the Blazers, a waning D-Wade and Bosh Miami, Harden was carrying the Rockets, almost the end of Dirk’s reign in Dallas, Kobe was still in LA at least, PG-13 was still in Indiana, Melo was still a Knick, etc…
I hope we see another matchup between LeBron and the KD-less Warriors, THAT is peak NBA. Once KD went to form the super team and everybody started moving around, meh…
And Derrick Rose was still in Chicago.
@@joshwonkim0895 was he? Wasn't this the year he was trades to the Knicks.
Lebron and the warriors are both trash now what are you even talking about lmao what
They blew it when they traded James harden
he was a mvp too lol ..its always sad when a big 3 like run tmc never gets to fufill their potential together
@@razkable he wasn't a MVP yet but he was a 6th man of the year
Not really. They could have won it all the next year, had Russ not gotten hurt.They could have won it all in 2015-2016, but choked against the overrated Warriors. Harden most likely does not turn into the player he is if he stayed in OKC. Also, this was before Steph Curry and the Warriors ruined basketball by making it a soft jump shooting league. When Harden was traded the NBA was still a big boys league where size, physicality, and defense mattered. Not to mention Harden was their sixth man, and not a starter. Their big three was Durant, Westbrook, and Ibaka.
The Unpopular Opinionated Tennessean Warriors hate is real with this one. They just thrashed the Thunder.
@@theunpopularopinionatedten4951 As a Rockets fan, I hate the Warriors as much as anyone but they weren't overrated and they didn't ruin basketball in any way. If the old style was superior it would have beaten it out, but it didn't. Things change, get over it.
As a Thunder Fan, this is the most depressing thing I’ve ever seen or experienced 😞🤦🏻♂️
as a Sonics fan good lol
Oops, it says Thunder fan. Sorry, but still... Boise St.
Lin kuei warrior gaming you still have no team 😂
I know that Russell trade really hurt bro, but it won't last forever.(the turmoil for OKC not Russell at the rockets)
@@STANKYCHEEZEMAYNE LOL JUST SAW A CLIPPERS NEWS THAT IF CLIPPERS COACH COULDNT SIGN KAWHI THERE MOVING TO SEATTLE TOO BAD HE SIGNED WITH THE CLIPPERS SO U WONT HAVE A CHANCE OF GETTING INTO AN NBA GAME AGAIN.
I’m a Thunder fan and this hurts watching all 3 MVPs slip away 😭
Brebs I feel u bro
Fax and now we have no one except Chris Paul old ass
All 3 of them gone
Get ready for these draft classes to suck.
I hope it hurts. A lot. -Seattle
Who's here after Harden got traded to the Nets???
Me
@Jake don't do that. It will be even worse, see what westbrick does to wizard
@@Yui-ee9mw he beat the nets 😂
@@Yui-ee9mw what did Westbrook do to the Wizards lol? He is ther 2nd best player. He is averaging 21 9 and 9 and he shoots 37% from the three.
Losing record is waving at you...
I’m a Thunder fan and they are what got me into basketball. I can’t thank them enough from a 6th man of the year who had a beautiful jumpshot, a PF who could play defense that was elite and someone who worked hard to stretch the floor a springy point guard who taught me how to play and last but not least. Durant a hard pill to swollow I just recently got over the GS run. I wish him the best.
This is depressing AF and I'm not even an OKC fan.... KD used to be my favorite player until he went to GSW
He still is mine
@@mac-gustavemulondak1679 I don't hate on people who still like him. I don't dislike KD. I just thought moving to a 73-9 team not only ruined my chance to watch KD get more action the court, but also Steph who was my other favorite player. That one move made both of my favorite players ever (outside of Kobe) less fun to watch, and made the outcome of games so predictable that I lost interest in the entire league. I just didn't understand why a player of KD's caliber needed to do that when he had a 3-1 lead on them with a far inferior squad.
Anyway, much respect to KD... dude is top 15 at this point (I'd be saying that even if he had no rings in OKC) and I can't wait for him to come back with Brooklyn.
Well he’s no longer a member of the warriors. You can still change your fan ship.
@@kohsmoger1567 Not really, the deed of course didn't disappear with that, he's still the weakest superstar of all-time and filled with two asterisks (not asterisks FMVPs though, those were earned, despite again the context), still a great player though and saved the Warriors crying to him, both desperately needed each other and both were snakes it's not all on KD.
Dusk TheHunter That’s an idiot take. Any team in the nba would have signed durant. Even the cavs that won the chip.
I think undervaluing James Harden is what sunk them from the beginning. I'm a huge Pac 12 fan so I always thought James Harden was great but with Jeff Green and Westbrook he could hardly get any shots. He filled the Jeff Green role when Jeff Green was traded but he was never allowed to be a superstar until he played on Houston.
To this day PG is still crying about the Pacers he's like that crazy ex that won't go away.
Washington native having a good time watching this video!
It's frustrating looking back at this team. They had everything they needed to do it all. If that core had actually stuck together, we'd be talking about the OKC Thunder as a dynasty instead of the Golden State Warriors.
@James Black No chance now. But, we're speaking about a what if scenario here. You're really going to tell me that a prime Durant, Westbrook, and Harden still teamed together is getting beat by the Curry, Thompson, and Green we've seen over these years? Yeah right. You think OKC would've blown that 3-1 West Finals lead in 2016 had Harden still been on that squad? Really think about that.
Even if somehow OKC get Lebron, OKC will never win NBA Championship. Because the curse of Seatle can not be broken
OUR COACHING AND MANAGEMENT WAS TRASH... PLAYERS DID THEIR EFFORTS ON THEIR OWN... IF ONLY WE HAD UJIRI AND NURSE INSTEAD
Sonics are flocking at sonic speeds.
Coming in hot
@@cheef825 White hot.
The definition of OKC sports: Good but never good enough
That's the actual definition of mediocre
@@mkokillerxz nah I think it means a pretender team
you could say that they're just..... OK.
I'll see myself out
They should do what Tim Duncan said.
"Good, better, best, never let it rest.
Until your good is better and your better is best.
@@davonsmith2434 it's not a pretender. OKC was so many times in the WCF's and once in the finals. They were pretenders when KD left tho.
The worst part about watching this video was it made me re-feel all the anguish and emotion I felt at the time of each event. There were things that I didn't even remember until watching this video, things I guess I blocked out. I went from interested to sad, to mad, back to sad and then it just ended... like that ending just dropped me on the head. You didn't even try to lift me back up and give me hope. All you did was further fuel my decision to follow Westbrooks Career to Houston and relive the Harden Westbrook days. Damn, our franchise is the Greg Oden Markelle Fultz of teams.....
Markelle not a bust why y'all idiots say that
As an OKC fan, you're making me cry man.
cry those ungrateful thieving tears
As a Sonic fan, I approve of OKC tears, I feel rejuvenated.
Shut up. Durant, Westbrook, and Ibaka were Sonics picks, stop crying.
Not to mention that they drafted one of the best defensive international players, who has been through heaps of different major roles that has changed the way he plays the game.
Great analysis. Just one thing to add (that most people forget): When George was with the Thunder the second year, he almost brought them an MVP award. He was pretty close
he was third in a two horse race, but he had a great season
Harden has recently average 36 PPG and 11 APG. Westbrook has average a triple double in three different seasons. Yeah, if the 2017 versions of Harden and Westbrook were paired-up with Durant, that would've been an absurd dream team. This would've been like an 85 point, 25 assist, 20 rebound trio.
Not fantasy you nerd. They coukd never co-exist. Harden and westbrook are loser, stat guys, those 2 won't ever win a ring, selfish players
Except the problem with that is that there is no synergy with that trio. All those guys get their value from scoring in volume and there is only so much volume to go around. Harden especially was a horrible, horrible defender for years, and if he isn't shouldering a big load on offense - which he couldn't do in OKC - there was no reason to have him on the court.
@@KeystoneHeavy58 He was not "Horrible Horrible" he's had to carry heavier loads in the regular season and cut back on his effort on defense but during the playoffs he's actually a very good defender. That whole Harden defense narrative is blasted out of proportion. And he's a better playmaker than Westbrook. Even during those bench minutes in OKC with Russ, Harden handled the ball better and ran point sometimes. If anyone can play with a bunch of scorers its Harden. Not Russ or KD.
They drafted toooo well .. couldn’t afford that talent ..oladipo was crushing it in Indy..much respect to those talent evaluators
I swear that is so true. Never heard it put like that.
@@HowlitzerPaul Money crushes promise, again.
The best What-If story in NBA history
I still prefer the what if D Rose never got injured, but the KD, Russ and Beard is a good one too
D rose and this trio. 2012 was the year both rose got injured and okc to finals. We could’ve saw okc vs bulls in finals that year.
@@pedroaugustocosta2533 if rose had legit superstar help maybe he can win rings..
I think it's also important to note that no one expected James Harden to become as good as he did. People thought, "This guy could really become a star," but no one thought scoring titles, MVP, all that. His road reminded me a lot of Tracy McGrady. McGrady was young and in Vince Carter's shadow and he not only wanted to get paid, he wanted a bigger role. He was regarded as a good player, a potential future star in the league, but he got to Orlando and turned into a much greater player than people expected.
Even if Harden just became a star, the OKC blew it. Hell, some would argue that Harden should have stayed over Westbrook.
Ibaka is the only player that didn't need help winning the championship 😏
FuckingYellow
Probably because he WAS the help for Kawhi.
It's all karma for leaving Seattle high and dry. As the great philosopher Rasheed Wallace says "Ball don't lie"
We didn't leave Seattle high and dry, your cheapskate owner did😂. He didn't wanna pay for an arena so he sold the team. Dumbass.
@@perryplatypus148 The same cheapskate owner that still owns the Thunder and traded Harden because he and management didn't want to pay him extra to stay.
@u aint bout it you serious? seahawk stadium is the loudest in the league
I’m still shocked the Thunder only made it to the finals once with this team. Just unbelievable.
Its like you're creating a GM exposure series. I love it.
That piano riff at the start sets the tone soo well! sweet video!! Need more like this.
Maybe one on how Barcalonas Treble winning team was torn apart
“LeBron and company turned up the HEAT” 😂😂😂
Trzn but lebron didn’t join the Celtics when he’d lost to them in the playoffs
Trzn but didn’t they win that 82-game regular season championship in 2013? Yeah, thought
So.
@Trzn Ok not credible hater
Trzn how
Lmao Sonic's Fans are Living it up Right Now
Shouldn't be. They should see it as a piece of their franchise lol
Ty Lito Okc is dead to sonics fans wym?
@@tylito4764 sure after losing all 3 stars Harden, KD and now Westbrook, I don't even see them making the playoffs this year
Ty Lito Oh no no no, OKC and Seattle are two separate franchises, don’t get it twisted
We elated rn
That Paul George trade gonna make for a great video on how Sam Presti managed to build it back up
The whole organization was just too young. The first time owners of Clay and Aubrey were too inexperienced for their earlier success. They were too scared of luxury to make every happy; while long time owners only see it only as a minor inconvenience. The entire thunder organization learned this value-able lesson, sadly they learned it at the worst time, when the stakes were at the highest. the team was just too young and successful to be making these crucial early errors.
Good point. As a Lakers fan, It used to be awesome to see Dr. Buss deal with luxury tax as an ordinary cost of running a winning franchise. Sadly, the only kid he had with even a slight knowledge of basketball was too busy chasing Phil Jackson around. Ah.....and here we are. 🤦🏽♂️
trading harden was the dumbest move in sports history, im not that good in basketball politics and i knew it during that time
yep. when you have all that talent, paying the luxury tax is what you do. But it's really hard to recognize that you have 3 MVPs on a team, and what will be a championship calibre roster when developing it. Imagine KD, Ibaka, Russ and Harden all on the same squad, and all in their primes. Unfair.
@@robertvallejos9374 I’m a Lakers fan too but to be fair, LA is a huge market. There is no way OKC could match that. Buss knew that the investment would bring huge return. There is a limit to what OKC could get in return from their side.
what do you mean were? they still are it's why they traded their entire team and got a thousand draft picks
The spirit of Seattle takes its revenge
u aint bout it no bandwagon fans if you can find a niche enough sport
@u aint bout it how do you bandwagon a team that doesn't exist
Best sports channel on UA-cam hands down
we need this series back but for the 2016 cubs or the bears!
Anybody else peep the Aaron Hernandez article at 7:17 lmao
Hylee S. Souder yeah i saw that😂😂😂
They failed to learn from the Brewers (aka the Pilots) that moving a team from Seattle will only end in disaster.
But the Ms never moved (1995 was close tho) and they're a disaster 😂😂😂
@@cheef825 Seattle has a history of disappointing teams.
The Mariners haven't been any better 😂
@@kmena05 Nor are they likely to be any time soon.
How does a team hit so many draft picks in 5 years? Then are unable to hold any of them together
Yeah, the list of players that have gone through OKC is really impressive after this Free Agency (while some may have peaked before or after joining the Thunder):
Kevin Durant
Russell Westbrook
Serge Ibaka
James Harden
Victor Oladipo
Steven Adams
Paul George
Carmelo Anthony
Chris Paul
could of had harden kd ibaka russ reggie jackson jeff green and tyson chandler all together from 2011-2019 if tysons stupid toe was not hurt in charlotte ultimately dooming that trade for unclearing the leagues injury rules...imagine that team ….we talking about when jeff could score 20 a game and tyson was a dpoy fiba champ olympian and all star and reggie was still a weapon ...those thunder teams would of won 5-6 title minimum
@@razkable could've*
Asmosis Jones well Reggie apparently was not very liked in okc
They explained how the Harden situation broke down. Then main reason is Westbrook.
OKC Front Office are some GOATs man. All those picks.
I mean they also managed to lose all the players.
@@dragoon2121 i think hes talking about all the future first rounders okc now have
Cheap management kills championship teams. There's a laundry list of examples
Sonics Fans: “Ah haha! That’s hot! That’s hot!”
“In the playoffs James Harden hit a dagger 3” you’ll never hear that in another video
perkins hitting a game tying tip shot at the buzzer is even funnier ..2014 was a different time I tell you what
As an LA Lakers fan this team had so much going for them I expected them to win at least 1 or 2 championships shame it never amounted to anything