Sam Presti from Oklahoma City said something three years ago. Maybe people forgot it. The Thunder team was very bad then. Also, he used difficult words.

Presti said, "Work helps you win," after the season. He meant, "Hard work wins" or "Slow work wins." This 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 is good. Three years ago, they did not win many games. This year, they won many games and the NBA championship. They beat the Indiana Pacers. The Thunder's best player is very good. Most of their players will play for the team next year. They also have new, good players coming. Other teams may be worried.

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

Gilgeous-Alexander said, "We can get better. That is good. Many of us can still grow. We are not at our best yet. We can grow alone and together. I am happy about the future. This is a good start."

And it's good that they are doing well now.

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

Oklahoma City has many good things.

Rick said the team has good players.

Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, and Holmgren like to play together. They don't care who scores. Caruso and Hartenstein do their jobs well. Dort is very good at defense. He knows that people don't always see how good he is.

The players don't care about winning, and the leaders don't care either.

Caruso said, "In this sport, things are not always sure. Teams can change if players are traded or get hurt. It is very hard to win. You cannot win every year. We will be ready to play and try to win again next year."

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

Daigneault said, "Maybe you will not finish like us. I really wanted them to win. I was happy we won. They are good. They work hard and help the team. I wanted them to win a lot."

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

Hard work helps us 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."