Thunder s return to the finals has sparked heated discussion: Can the team model challenge the traditional group culture

This place in Oklahoma City has been really lively lately! The Thunder kicked the Timberwolves out and returned to the finals after so many years. The whole city is like the New Year. But then again, is the rise of the Thunder a flash in the pan, or is it that the NBA is about to change its days and have to live a different way of life?

I want me to say that back then, the NBA also had a popular style of "many people and strong power". The Heat's Big Three, James, Wade and Bosh, are so glorious that they won two championships in four years. Later, the Warriors, Curry, Thompson, Durant, Green, and Iguodala, gathered together five All-Stars, which was simply the "Five Death Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little Little

But this "group" model looks beautiful, but actually has many problems. Salary is a big problem. With more stars, the salary cap will be tight, and the team's operation is under great pressure. Besides, with too many stars, no one will accept each other, and running-in is also a problem. Look at the recent years, some "group" teams have poor record, constant injuries, and a lot of internal conflicts. It is really sad.

Look at the Thunder again, the rise of this team is simply a "counterattack" drama. Don’t forget that in 2012, Durant, Westbrook, Harden, and the Thunder three young masters also entered the finals, but unfortunately they lost to the Heat in the end. That failure made Lei Ting understand that being talented is not enough, and he also has to rely on the team. In 2019, the Thunder sent Paul George to the Clippers in exchange for Alexander and a lot of draft picks. This transaction became the starting point for Thunder’s reconstruction. This young man Alexander is such a treasure. He can score, organize, defend, and be omnipotent.

Thunder's talent show vision is also really accurate. Homgren, this big man, can work inside and outside, perfectly with Alexander. There is also Dort, a defensive player, who keeps his opponent's number one scorer tightly. The Thunder also attaches great importance to youth training. It has its own Development League team, called Oklahoma City Blues, which specializes in training young players.

If you want to talk about Alexander, it is really the "determining needle" of thunder. In the Western Conference Finals, he averaged more than 30 points per game and performed at the MVP level. Not only can he score points, but he can also drive all his teammates. He cooperated with young players such as Homegren and Williams in such a tacit understanding.

Thunder's head coach Dagenot is also a powerful character. He can formulate tactics based on the characteristics of each player and give full play to everyone's strengths. He is also very good at team building, making the team atmosphere particularly good, and everyone is working together.

Thunder's operating model is also quite interesting, with a bit of "low input and high output". Their total salary ranks the bottom in the league, but the team's record is among the best. They still hold a lot of draft picks in their hands, and their future development potential is huge.

Some people may say, how far can the Thunder model go? Can they win the championship? This is really hard to say. In the finals, they faced the Pacers or the Knicks, which were hard to chew.

But no matter what, the rise of the Thunder has brought considerable shock to the NBA. They have proved that it is possible to build a competitive team without "grouping". This may change the NBA's team building ideas and allow more teams to begin to pay attention to youth training and team building. No one can tell what the future will be like for these young men from Thunder. But their youth storm has swept the entire league. As for the future of the NBA, whether to "group together" and continue to dominate, or to replace it with "Youth Storm", let's wait and see.