Three years prior, Oklahoma City's General Manager, Sam Presti, proffered a commitment that, for reasons both patent – the Thunder's abysmal performance – and esoteric – his deployment of what amounted to a latter-day Latin – may well have languished in the collective memory.

"'Labor omnia vincit,' intoned Presti post-2021-22, invoking a Sooner State shibboleth, its interpretation oscillating, contingent upon Presti's nuanced exegesis, between the meritocratic 'assiduous effort triumphs universally' and the more measured, Fabian 'gradual application achieves ultimate victory.'"

Irrespective of the specific vicissitudes, this paradigm holds true for the Thunder, whose laborious and protracted endeavours, albeit commendable in their diligence, remain subject to its overarching influence.

Their dominion brooked no terrestrial limit.

Having clawed their way from the nadir of a mere 24 victories three seasons prior, the Oklahoma City Thunder's ascendance to NBA champions, culminating in a hard-fought, seven-game series against the Indiana Pacers, should serve as a chilling portent for the league at large; spearheaded by MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and buttressed by a roster of key players contractually bound for the foreseeable future, the Thunder’s already formidable arsenal is further augmented by the latent potential of lottery pick Nikola Topic – sidelined this season due to an ACL injury – and the impending infusion of talent from two top-24 picks in the upcoming draft, solidifying their position as a veritable juggernaut.

Their nascent lineup, spearheaded by a cohort of players aged 27, 26, 26, 24, and 23 respectively, evinces both audaciousness and the plausible potential for sustained contention.

"Notwithstanding the confluence of accolades – Most Valuable Player, NBA Finals MVP, undisputed scoring champion, and now, culminatingly, NBA champion – Gilgeous-Alexander posited that the team's developmental trajectory remains decidedly ascendant. He elucidated, 'The enduring allure resides in the palpable potential for iterative self-improvement amongst the collective; a paucity of individuals currently operating at their zenith or proximate thereof intimates a capacious scope for both discrete and synergistic augmentation. This nascent triumph, indubitably, constitutes a propitious genesis, auguring favorably for the team's future endeavors.'"

Furthermore, the propitious confluence of circumstances that has precipitated their ascendance to this level of proficiency could scarcely be more opportune.

Whilst a plethora of franchises face existential questions as they approach the forthcoming season, the Oklahoma City Thunder stand apart; the Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum, the Milwaukee Bucks' Damian Lillard, and the Indiana Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton are all facing potentially season-ending Achilles tendon recoveries, while LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers embarks on his unprecedented 23rd campaign, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors approaches his 38th year, Kevin Durant, soon to be of Houston following his trade, now confronts his 18th season, the Philadelphia 76ers' fortunes rest precariously on Joel Embiid's recuperation, and the New York Knicks navigate the complexities inherent in a change of leadership on the sidelines.

Oklahoma City evinces all the hallmarks of a meticulously orchestrated and flawlessly executed urban plan.

"Pacers Head Coach Rick Carlisle averred that the team boasts a surfeit of exceptionally talented players."

Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, and Holmgren evince a palpable synergy, their on-court symbiosis untainted by narcissistic concerns regarding individual accolades; similarly, Caruso and Hartenstein have assimilated into the Thunder’s strategic architecture with remarkable efficacy. Dort, a defensive *tour de force*, operates with a tacit understanding that his preternatural gifts in that sphere are often met with a lamentable paucity of appreciation from the hoi polloi.

It is not merely the players who evince a lack of concern for self-aggrandisement; a similar deficiency pervades the upper echelons of management.

"Caruso posited that the league's inherent volatility, often overlooked in the cyclical churn, obviates any presumption of guaranteed success; the ever-present spectres of trades, injuries, and exogenous factors render team dynamics perpetually fluid, thus elevating championship attainment to an echelon of rarefied achievement, rendering any expectation of annual recurrence a manifestation of profound naïveté; ergo, he affirmed their unwavering commitment to commence next season with unwavering dedication to iterative improvement and renewed pursuit of the title."

Presti, the architect of this meticulously constructed edifice, maintains a studied public silence, mirrored by the reticence of owner Clay Bennett, while Mark Daigneault, the team's coach, embodies an almost preternatural equanimity, navigating the tempests of the season with the unflappable poise of a seasoned helmsman at the Thunder's wheel.

Daigneault averred, "There's no assurance your denouement will mirror ours. My desire for their success was paramount. I was simply elated we managed to consummate that objective and that they could savour this moment, commensurate with their due. Their approach, marked by consummate professionalism, unwavering competitiveness, and an overriding team ethos, as I've articulated, fuelled my fervent aspiration for their triumph."

The Thunder's odyssey, far from concluding, is nascent; Presti commands a veritable arsenal of draft capital and enjoys appreciable fiscal latitude to augment the roster should exigency or strategic advantage dictate, all now under the aegis of a newly acquired championship to safeguard.

Labor omnia vincit, but the Sisyphean task remains far from complete.

"Presti, acknowledging the Herculean task ahead in 2022, asserted the necessity of unwavering commitment and diligent application, framing it not merely as an occupational imperative, but as a reflection of the very ethos underpinning the state, the historical legacy of the community, and the ingrained spirit of the basketball team."