Sam Presti from Oklahoma City said something three years ago. Maybe people did not understand him. The Thunder team was not good. Also, he used difficult words.

Presti said a Latin phrase after the season. It means "hard work wins" or "slow work wins." It is a saying from Oklahoma.

It is the same for the Thunder. They worked hard. They worked slowly.

They won every game.

The Thunder team won many games this year. They are the best team in the NBA now. They beat the Indiana Pacers. The Thunder have a good player named Shai. He will play for them next year too. They also have new players coming. This is not good news for other teams.

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

Gilgeous-Alexander said, "We can get better. It is fun! Many of us can still learn more. We are not old yet. We can learn alone and together. I like this team's future. This is a good start!"

It is good they are doing well now.

Many teams have questions for next season. Oklahoma City does not. Some players are hurt, like Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard, and Tyrese Haliburton. LeBron James will play his 23rd year. Stephen Curry will be 38. Kevin Durant will play his 18th year. Philadelphia hopes Joel Embiid is healthy. New York will get a new coach.

Oklahoma City has many good things.

"This team is good," said Rick, who coaches the Pacers. "They have many good players."

Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, and Holmgren like to play together. They do not care who scores. Caruso and Hartenstein play well for the Thunder team. Dort is good at defense, but some people do not see how good he is.

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

Caruso said, "You cannot be sure of anything in the league. Teams change every year. Players get hurt, or teams trade players. You cannot control these things. It is great to win in this sport. You cannot think you will win every year. We will be ready to play next year and try to win again."

Presti made everything. He does not often speak to people. Clay Bennett owns the team. He also does not speak much. Mark Daigneault is the coach. He is very calm and a good leader for the Thunder team.

Daigneault said, "I cannot promise you will finish like us." He said, "I really wanted them to win. I was very happy we did it. They should have this experience because they work hard and help each other. I wanted them to win a lot."

The Thunder's journey is not over. It is just starting. Presti has many good players for the team. The team can buy a good player if they want. And now they need to win again.

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 state, our town, and our team."