The manner in which the Oklahoma City Thunder clinched their spot in the NBA Finals seemed fitting. It was a blowout. Those have been the story of the Thunder season. There hasn't been a team in NBA history with at least 12 wins by 30 points or more in a season — or with four such wins in a single postseason — until now.

Oklahoma City closed out the Western Conference finals in five games, facing little resistance from Minnesota in the clincher.

“These guys are uncommon,” said Daigneault, who was an assistant at Florida when the Thunder lost to Miami in the ’12 Finals, was coaching Oklahoma City’s G-League team in ’16 and has been at the Thunder helm since 2020. “They do everything right. They’re professional. They’re high character ….”