Sam Presti from Oklahoma City said something three years ago. Maybe people did not understand it. First, the Thunder team was bad then. Second, he used difficult words.

Presti said, "Work helps you win," after the season. This is a saying from Oklahoma. It means hard work helps you win.

It is the same for the Thunder. They worked hard. They worked for a long time.

They won every game.

The Thunder team is good. Three years ago, they did not win many games. Now, they won a lot of games and won the NBA championship. They beat the Indiana Pacers. The Thunder have a great player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He and other good players will play for the team next year. They also have new young players. Other teams may be worried.

They are young. The players who start are 27, 26, 26, 24, and 23 years old. They are brave and can play well for a long time.

Gilgeous-Alexander said, "We can get better. That is fun! We can all improve. Many of us are not old. We can grow, alone and together. I am happy for this team's future. This is a good start."

Also, it is good they are doing well now.

Many teams have questions for next season. But Oklahoma City does not. Some players are hurt and will miss games. LeBron James will play his 23rd season. Stephen Curry will be 38. Kevin Durant will play his 18th season. Philadelphia needs Joel Embiid to be healthy. New York will have a new coach.

Oklahoma City has many good things.

"The Pacers have good players," said Rick Carlisle.

Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, and Holmgren like to play together. They do not care who gets the points. Caruso and Hartenstein play well for the Thunder team. Dort is a very good defender. He knows that many people do not see how good he is at defense.

The players don't care about showing off, and the leaders also don't care.

Caruso said, "Playing is hard. Teams change. Players can get hurt. Winning is not easy. We will be ready next year to try again."

Presti plans things, but he does not talk much. Clay Bennett owns the team, and he is also quiet. Mark Daigneault is a calm coach. He helps the Thunder team a lot.

I cannot say you will finish like us. I really wanted this for them. I was happy we did it. They can feel this now. They work hard and are good in a team. I wanted it for them very much.

The Thunder are not done yet. They are just beginning. They have money and can get new players. Now they need to play well.

Hard work helps you win. We still have more work to do.

Presti said in 2022, "We have a lot of work to do. We need to work hard. This is important for our place, our people, and our team."