Three years prior, Oklahoma City Thunder General Manager Sam Presti proffered a prescient, albeit readily dismissible, pledge, its significance potentially obfuscated by two cardinal factors: the Thunder's nadir-scraping performance at the time and Presti's almost Ciceronian pronouncements, laden with nuance and pregnant with future implications.

Invoking the Oklahoman ethos, Presti's post-2021-22 pronouncement, "Labor omnia vincit," possessed a bifurcated valence, oscillating between the familiar exhortation of "hard work conquers all" and the more nuanced, perhaps even counterintuitive, "slow work conquers all," contingent upon the hermeneutic lens applied.

Regardless of the vantage point, the aforementioned paradigm remains applicable to the Thunder, a team whose assiduous, albeit protracted, efforts are now manifest.

They brooked no opposition, subjugating all before them.

Having clawed their way back from a nadir of just 24 wins three seasons prior, the Oklahoma City Thunder have ascended to the zenith of the NBA, vanquishing the Indiana Pacers in a protracted, seven-game NBA Finals war of attrition; a dénouement that ought to send tremors of trepidation throughout the league, given that, spearheaded by reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, their core remains steadfastly ensconced under contract for the forthcoming season, further augmented by the latent potential of 2024 lottery acquisition Nikola Topic – sidelined this year by an ACL rupture – and buttressed by the acquisition of two top-24 picks in the impending draft.

Their nascent roster, spearheaded by a cohort of players aged 23 to 27, evinces an audacious disposition, presaging a sustained period of championship contention.

"Gilgeous-Alexander, already laden with accolades including MVP, NBA Finals MVP, and the league's scoring title, now crowned an NBA champion, posited that their trajectory remains decidedly ascendant, remarking, 'The allure resides in this potential for amplified development; the vast majority of us are demonstrably pre-prime, holding extensive capacity for both individual and collective refinement. I find myself profoundly optimistic regarding the team's prospects, perceiving this championship as an auspicious genesis.'"

Furthermore, the propitious confluence of circumstances that has allowed them to attain this level of performance is particularly felicitous.

The league landscape brims with pre-season uncertainties, yet Oklahoma City stands as a rare bastion of stability amidst a constellation of convalescing stars – Tatum in Boston, Lillard newly ensconced in Milwaukee, and Haliburton in Indiana, all facing protracted absences due to Achilles tendinopathies – and the looming actuarial realities confronting the twilight years of perennial titans like LeBron James, entering his unprecedented 23rd campaign with the Lakers, and Stephen Curry, poised to navigate his age-38 season in Golden State, not to mention Kevin Durant, soon to be officially domiciled in Houston after an imminent transaction, embarking on his 18th year, while Philadelphia's championship aspirations remain inextricably tethered to Embiid's full recuperation and New York grapples with the exigencies of a nascent coaching regime.

Oklahoma City evinces all the hallmarks of a meticulously orchestrated urban entity.

“The Pacers, replete with a surfeit of talent, present a formidable roster,” averred Rick Carlisle, their astute bench strategist.

Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, and Holmgren evince a palpable synergy, their on-court symbiosis unmarred by ego, whilst Caruso and Hartenstein demonstrate an almost preternatural aptitude for fulfilling the Thunder's exigencies; Luguentz Dort, a veritable defensive juggernaut, has, with stoic resignation, accepted the limitations of the hoi polloi to fully comprehend the nuances of his defensive prowess.

The pervasive indifference to self-aggrandisement extends beyond the players, permeating the very upper echelons of leadership.

"Caruso elucidated the inherent precarity of professional basketball, asserting that the league's capricious nature, often overlooked, renders success a Sisyphean endeavour. The perennial flux engendered by trades, injuries, and exogenous variables underscores the exceptionalism of championship victories. To presuppose annual triumph is demonstrably jejune; however, we remain steadfast, vowing to commence next season with unwavering resolve, redoubling our efforts in pursuit of the ultimate accolade."

Presti, the architect of this meticulously constructed edifice, remains conspicuously reticent, as does Clay Bennett, the team's principal benefactor; meanwhile, Mark Daigneault, the head coach, embodies imperturbability, adroitly navigating the team through periods of both tranquility and tempestuous upheaval, proving himself the quintessential helmsman of the Thunder's fortunes.

Daigneault reflected, "There's no a priori assurance their denouement will mirror ours; my fervent desire for their triumph stemmed from an acute appreciation of their consummate professionalism, unyielding competitiveness, and unwavering commitment to the collective, rendering their experiential acquisition of this victory, in my estimation, richly deserved."

For the Thunder, the odyssey has only just commenced; Presti commands a veritable arsenal of draft capital, coupled with judicious financial latitude to procure synergistic talent should the exigency arise, all now underpinned by the mantle of championship defence.

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

Reflecting on the exigencies facing the organization in 2022, Presti affirmed, "A period of assiduous, relentless effort lies ahead; we must tenaciously commit ourselves to the task. This ethos of unwavering dedication epitomizes the very essence of our state, resonates with the historical narrative of our community, and constitutes the foundational principle underpinning this basketball franchise."