It's that time of year in Oklahoma.
Not just storm season, Thunder season.
More specifically, Thunder playoff season. The Oklahoma City Thunder made it to the NBA playoffs and everywhere you turn in the Sooner State someone is talking about the game, the odds, who they'll play in the next game/round/finals.
It happens at 2 News all the time, some of us are HUGE thunder fans
Some of us nicely yell "Sports ball!" when it comes up in the newsroom.
via GIPHY (Buzzfeed)
How can you feel like part of the conversation without transforming into a full blown basketball fan?
We got you.
What you need to know about the NBA playoffs?
The NBA Playoffs determine the league’s champion through a series of elimination rounds.
- 16 Teams: The top eight teams from the Eastern and Western Conferences qualify based on regular season performance.
- Seeding: Teams are ranked from #1 to #8 in each conference based on their win-loss records.
- Best-of-Seven Series: Each playoff round is decided in a best-of-seven format, meaning the first team to win four games advances to the next round.
- Four Rounds: The playoffs consist of the First Round, Conference Semifinals, Conference Finals, and the NBA Finals.
Right now, the Thunder are in the 2nd round of the Western Conference playoffs.
Possible conversation piece: "Can you believe the Thunder is one of the 16 best teams in the league? "
NBA Finals 101:
- Format: Best-of-seven (first to 4 wins).
- Structure: Traditionally a 2-2-1-1-1 home/away format, where the team with the better regular-season record hosts games 1, 2, 5, and 7.
- Participants: The winner of the Eastern Conference Finals vs. the winner of the Western Conference Finals.
- MVP: The most outstanding player in the series receives the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award.
- History: Played annually since 1947.
The Thunder won the 2025 NBA championship.
Possible conversation piece: "So crazy to think the NBA finals and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are the same age!"
Let's Talk OKC Thunder:
- Established: Moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City in 2008
- Colors: Thunder blue, sunset, yellow, and dark blue.
- Arena: Paycom Center (often referred to by fans as "Loud City").
Several high profile Seattlites are still upset about the team's move.
Possible conversation piece: "How long do you think Eddie Vedder is gonna be mad about the Supersonics?"
Key Personnel (As of 2026):
- General Manager: Sam Presti.
- Head Coach: Mark Daigneault.
- Core Players: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA), Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.
Historically famous Thunder players also include Kevin Durant (who famously bounced and made OKC fans mad) and Russell Westbrook (who everyone still loves.)
Possible conversation piece: "Man, SGA is so much cooler than Kevin Durant. Canadians are so nice."
Thunder's road to playoffs in 2026:
- The Thunder started the season 24–1, tying the 2015–16 Golden State Warriors for the best 25-game start in NBA history.
- On March 17, the Thunder clinched their third straight playoff berth
- They won the Maurice Podoloff Trophy and home-court advantage throughout the entire NBA playoffs for the second straight year, and became the first team to do so
- They finished the regular season with a 64–18 record.
In the first round, the Thunder swept the Phoenix Suns in four games, marking their third consecutive first-round sweep of the team.
The Thunder are playing the Los Angeles Lakers in round 2 of the playoffs.
Possible conversation piece: "Thunder really are cleaning up with all this sweeping."
And now you're equipped to chime in the next time the Thunder are the talk of your group.
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