Stiles Points: Everyday is Groundhog Day for OKC Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder won Saturday's game the way they have most of its game this season, with a relentless defensive effort, a massive run and fighting through adversity.

Mar 29, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) gestures after scoring against the Indiana Pacers during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The great Yogi Berra had many Yogi-isms. Some of them made sense, others you had to squint a bit to make sense of. However, one of his famed lined fits this 2024-25 Oklahoma City Thunder squad perfectly, "It's Deja Vu all over again."

Is the phrase redundant in nature? Sure. Is it applicable to this Thunder campaign? Absolutely. Of Oklahoma City's 62 wins this season, the majority of them have looked as though FanDuel Sports OK was running a rerun of the night prior.

The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to lean on its historic defense to suffocate teams, blanketing games in turnovers and contested shots and squeezing the life out of matchups like a cobra wrapping around its prey before sinking its teeth (or in this case triples) into your flesh to turn the lights out.

On top of that historic defense, the Thunder have routinely counted on its ability to fight through adversity. While many projected Oklahoma City to sit at the top of the West. However, if the prognosticators knew that Chet Holmgren would be sidelined from Nov. 10-Jan. 7, that Isaiah Hartenstein would miss a massive chunk of time as would Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams and that Jalen Williams and Alex Caruso would bounce in and out of the rotation particularly for the Santa Clara product down the home stretch of the campaign, the projections would've been different.

That speaks to the Thunder's ability to battle through situations when things are not going its way. It is reminiscent of College Football Hall of Famer General Neyland and his seven maxims read off before each Tennessee Volunteers football game. No. 3 reads "If at first the Game or Breaks Go against you, don't let up. Put on more steam."

Oklahoma City embodies that game-to-game and possession-to-possession. Take last night's game against the Indiana Pacers where the Thunder got down ten points and could've take the route most current-day NBA squads do; Pack it up and live to play another day. Instead, the Thunder put on more steam.

Then, after intermission, they did not have a healthy center available from its standard roster. Chet Holmgren, isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams were all sidelined. The Pacers went on its fine run of the game to get the tilt within ten. You guessed it, OKC put on more steam to claim its largest lead of the night and a lopsided score.

Oklahoma City is tied for the second most double-digit wins in NBA history (48) after Saturday night with the 2017 Golden State Warriors, with still eight games to play and potentially catch the record holding 1972 Los Angeles Lakers who had 50 such games.

The description of this game –– or story of the tilt –– mirrors the majority of the last 74. The Thunder have been consistently great, to the point that every day feels like Groundhogs Day like the 1993 cult classic flick. Each contest is a different verse, same as the first.

No one knows exactly what the future holds for Oklahoma City. This scribe doesn't practice Santeria or have a Crystal Ball, but what is being shown in front of us is an All-Time great –– and consistent –– team.

Song of the Day: Deja vu by Olvia Rodrigo

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