Thunder vow to return stronger after Spurs end repeat bid

The Thunder’s quest to repeat as NBA champions came to an abrupt end Saturday, but don’t expect them to view this season as anything close to a failure.

Instead, the message coming out of the locker room after a Game 7 loss to the Spurs was simple.

Learn from it. Get better. Come back stronger.

“We just have to take it one day at a time from here on out,” NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters, via ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “Try to get better this summer, be a better team than we were this season and last season, and try to get over the hump.”

The Spurs advanced to the NBA Finals with a 111-103 victory, ending Oklahoma City’s hopes of becoming the league’s first repeat champion in nearly a decade. San Antonio also continued a trend that frustrated the Thunder throughout the season, winning four of five regular-season meetings and eliminating Oklahoma City from both the NBA Cup and Western Conference playoffs.

Injuries certainly played a role.

The Thunder spent much of the series without key contributors Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell, forcing Gilgeous-Alexander to carry an even heavier offensive burden. While the MVP finished with 35 points and nine assists in Game 7, Oklahoma City never fully found the offensive balance that helped fuel last year’s championship run.

Chet Holmgren also struggled against San Antonio’s elite interior defense, averaging 10.7 points in the series after starring in the first two playoff rounds.

Still, there was little finger-pointing afterward.

Coach Mark Daigneault praised a team that won 64 games and again finished among the NBA’s elite, while players repeatedly emphasized the belief that this group remains capable of competing for championships.

The season ended sooner than Oklahoma City hoped. But if the Thunder are right, this may prove to be only another step in a much longer journey.