OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma City Thunder will receive their NBA championship rings Tuesday night before their season opener against the Houston Rockets.
Oklahoma City beat the Indiana Pacers in the Finals last season to win their first title since the franchise moved from Seattle in 2008. The Thunder won it all after a 68-14 regular season that earned them homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs.
The stars from that winning team — league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, All-Star Jalen Williams and rising star Chet Holmgren — are back with the Thunder after signing extensions in the offseason. Coach Mark Daigneault and most of the bench return to make Oklahoma City one of the favorites again.
Houston’s new star is Kevin Durant, the ex-Thunder forward who signed with the Rockets in the offseason. His presence has put Houston on the short list of teams considered capable of dethroning Oklahoma City. Durant, 37, signed a two-year extension on Sunday.
Durant won four scoring titles and the 2014 MVP award with the Thunder before leaving to join the Golden State Warriors in free agency in 2016. Many Thunder fans felt betrayed after Durant joined the team that beat Oklahoma City in the Western Conference Finals months before he switched teams.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
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