We are only 47 days away from the start of the 2016-17 season for the Oklahoma City Thunder, which will mark the 5th season since the Thunder’s trip to the NBA Finals back in 2012. The Thunder have maintained consistent success in the Playoffs, but a return trip to the Finals has yet to happen.
In the 2011-12 season, the Thunder won 47 games in a shortened NBA season due to the lockout by NBA Players’ Association. The 47 wins was enough to earn the Thunder the 2-seed in the Western Conference as they defeated the Mavericks, the Lakers, and the Spurs on their way to an eventual defeat at the hands of the Miami Heat in the Finals.
Only two players remain on the current roster from that Finals run: veteran Nick Collison and superstar Russell Westbrook. The Thunder are expected to barely make the playoffs by winning MAYBE 47 games in a full season this year, but fans in Oklahoma City remain hopeful that Russ will lead a very different-looking Thunder roster on a successful run to the Playoffs.