The Oklahoma City Thunder are in the Western Conference Finals. On Monday night at Crypto.com Arena, the defending NBA champions closed out their 4-0 sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers with a 115-110 road win — the kind of closeout where you can feel a team know exactly who they are. Two rounds, eight wins, zero losses. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams. The young core that won it last June is back on the same road, and they're moving faster this time.
The Thunder are now waiting on the winner of Spurs–Timberwolves to set the conference finals matchup. Either way, OKC has home court and they look untouchable.
For the Thunder fan in your life — a dad, a kid, a brother, anyone who's been on this ride from the rebuild years through last June's title to now — the next two weeks are the moment.
The Arc of the Run
Back when the Thunder were up 2-0 on the Lakers in the second round, we wrote about how SGA looked unstoppable and how OKC was one step away from sweeping a star-studded opponent. Two games later, they were. The Lakers, who came in as the 4-seed and looked dangerous in their first-round series against Houston, never had an answer.
What's striking about this Thunder team is how the defense translates from the regular season to the playoffs. SGA is still the engine on offense — reigning MVP, reigning Finals MVP, leading scorer in this series — but it's Holmgren protecting the rim, Jalen Williams getting buckets at all three levels, and Lu Dort doing what Lu Dort does that's making this look easy. The defending champion stamp matters: they've been here.
The Gifts
If you're shopping for a Thunder fan right now, the playoff moment makes the gift simple.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 4x6 Plaque — $14. The reigning MVP. Real licensed cards, display-ready. The cleanest entry-level gift for any Thunder fan in your life.
2024-25 OKC Thunder NBA Champions 3-Card Plaque. The title plaque — SGA, Holmgren, and the moment the franchise has been building toward for a decade. For the Thunder fan who's been around since the rebuild, this is the gift that hits hardest. Real licensed Donruss, Prizm, and Hoops cards from the championship season.
For the full range of Thunder gifts — team sets, plaques in every size, the SGA collection — browse our full Thunder collection. Or all SGA products specifically.
The Father's Day Math
Father's Day is Sunday, June 21. If the Thunder keep playing the way they're playing, by June 21 they'll be defending their championship in the NBA Finals or just coming off another one. The conference finals start mid-May and run into early June. Order by Sunday, June 8 to guarantee Father's Day delivery.
What's Next
The Western Conference Finals will tip off once Spurs–Wolves finishes. The Thunder have home-court advantage. Game 1 is likely Sunday May 17 or Monday May 18.
For the Thunder fan in your life, this is the second straight Conference Finals run by a young core that isn't going anywhere for a long time. Get them something worth remembering it by.