An Oklahoma City Thunder-Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Finals would really throw the league into a vortex of hot takes, reasoned insight, salary cap minutia, parity, roster-building theories and hope for small-market teams.
Given the state of the NBA in 2025, a Thunder-Cavaliers series is realistic, and the teams with the best records in the league play each other Wednesday in Cleveland (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).
The game features the only teams with 30 victories (31-4 Cleveland and 30-5 Oklahoma City). It is just the third time in league history that teams with an .850 winning percentage or better have met this late in the season, and it’s been a while since either team has lost – the Thunder own a 15-game winning streak, and the Cavs have won 10 consecutive games.
It’s also just the second time two teams have won 30 of their first 35 games in the same season since 1971-72 when Milwaukee and the Los Angeles Lakers did it (the Lakers won the title as the Bucks, then in the West, lost to L.A. in the conference finals).
The Cavaliers have the No. 1 offense, scoring 121.3 points per 100 possessions, and the Thunder are No. 8 offensively at 114.8. Oklahoma City is No. 1 defensively (102.7 points allowed per 100 possessions), and Cleveland is No. 7 (109.8 points). They are 1-2 in net rating (the Thunder at plus-12.1 and the Cavs at plus-11.5 points per 100 possessions).
They are two of the four teams that rank in the top eight both offensively and defensively – Boston and Memphis are the others.
The game also features an MVP candidate in Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and one who should get more consideration in Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell.
And they play each other again next week – Jan. 16 in Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma City’s position atop the West isn’t surprising. The Thunder were the No. 1 seed last season, sharing the conference’s best record with Denver at 57-25, and have been moving toward conference supremacy for a few seasons.
Cleveland was 48-34 last season, dismissed J.B. Bickerstaff as head coach after its playoff loss and replaced him with Kenny Atkinson, who has molded the Cavs into a contender with Mitchell, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.
Smart front-office executives similarly built the Thunder and Cavaliers: via trades, through the draft and free-agent signings.
Thunder executive vice president Sam Presti, who will get strong consideration for executive of the year, acquired Gilgeous-Alexander and Alex Caruso via trade, drafted Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Ajay Mitchell, Aaron Wiggins and Cason Wallace and signed Lu Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein and Isaiah Joe in free agency. There’s a reason executives across four pro leagues named Oklahoma City’s front office the best in all of sports in a recent poll by The Athletic.
Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman had a rocky start to his tenure when he took over in LeBron James’ last season with Cleveland. However, he stuck to a plan, landing Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert in trades and drafting Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro. Cleveland signed Georges Niang, Ty Jerome and Sam Merrill in free agency and acquired Max Strus in a sign-and-trade with Miami in free agency.
Presti and Altman both made wise coaching decisions, too – Mark Daigneault in Oklahoma City and Atkinson. Daigneault was the coach of the year last season, and Atkinson could win the award this season.
Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert has shown a willingness to spend money on a title contender, and while the Thunder will have to pay to retain Holmgren, Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander, Presti has made savvy signings that should help with salary cap puzzles.
Both teams are set up to succeed for the next several seasons. Cleveland hasn’t had a Finals game since 2018, and the Thunder last played in the Finals in 2012.
The Cavs will have to get past some combination of New York and Boston, and the West is loaded with capable teams. But it’s obvious both teams are headed in the right direction.
How to watch Thunder-Cavaliers: TV channel, time, live steam
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 8
TV channel: ESPN
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Streaming: ESPN+, Fubo
On the call: Mike Breen, Doris Burke, Richard Jefferson, Cassidy Hubbarth
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