Sam Presti, who is the manager for the Oklahoma City team, made a promise three years ago. People might not have noticed it for two reasons. First, the team was very bad at that time. Second, he used words that were difficult to understand.

After the 2021-22 season, Presti said, "Labor omnia vincit." This is a saying from Oklahoma. It means "hard work wins everything" or "slow work wins everything."

This applies to the Thunder team. They worked hard and patiently to achieve their goals.

They successfully took control of all the areas.

Three years ago, the Thunder team won only 24 games. But this year, they won 84 games and became NBA champions. They won after a difficult final series against the Indiana Pacers. Other NBA teams might be worried about this. Their best player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, is still with the team. He and other main players will play next season. They also have a new player, Nikola Topic, who was chosen in a special lottery but could not play this year because he was injured. The Thunder also have two chances to choose new players in this year's draft.

They are a young team. Their starting players are currently between 23 and 27 years old. They are confident and could be playing at a high level for a long time.

Gilgeous-Alexander, who won many awards, said they can still improve a lot. He said that's what makes it exciting. Many players can get better. Most of the team are not at their best yet. They have a lot to learn, alone and together. He is happy about the team's future. This is a good beginning.

It's good that they are starting to succeed now.

Many teams have problems for next season, but Oklahoma City does not. Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard, and Tyrese Haliburton have leg injuries and will miss most of next season. 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 get a new coach.

Oklahoma City appears to have everything well-organized.

"Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said that this team has many good players."

Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren like to play together and help each other. They do not care who gets the praise. Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein easily joined the team and did what the Thunder team asked. Luguentz Dort is a very good defender, but he knows that many people do not understand how good he is at it.

It's not just the players who don't care about showing off. The leaders also don't care.

Caruso said, "You can't be sure of anything in this league. I think people forget that things change every year. Your team can change because of a trade, an injury, or something you can't control. It's amazing to win in this sport. It's a bit silly to think you can win every year. But don't worry, we'll be ready to improve and try again next year.

Presti, who planned everything, does not often speak in public. The owner, Clay Bennett, also does not often speak. Coach Mark Daigneault stays calm even when there are problems. He is the best person to lead the Thunder team.

Daigneault said that it's not sure if they will finish in the same way they did. He really wanted them to win. He was very happy that they could do it and have this experience because they earned it. They work hard, are professional, like to compete, and always put the team first. He really wanted them to win.

The Thunder's journey is not over. It is just starting. The team has many future draft picks and money to get new players if they want. Now, they need to defend their championship.

Hard work can help you achieve anything, but there are still more tasks to finish.

Presti said in 2022 that they had a lot of work to do. He said they needed to work hard, because that's what their state, community, and basketball team were all about.