No. 2 1995-96 Sonics vs. No. 3 2011-12 Thunder
2 seed: 1995-96
Regular season record: 64-18
Playoff result: Lost NBA Finals
Prime Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp reached the NBA Finals after taking down the Sacramento Kings in four games and then sweeping the Houston Rockets. They lost in the championship to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
Key players:
Gary Payton – One of Gary Payton’s finest years, the point guard won Defensive Player of the Year by averaging 2.9 steals per game. He posted 19.3 points, 7.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting 32.8% from three, which at that point was a career-high.
Shawn Kemp – Arguably Kemp’s best season, the All-Star averaged 19.6 points, a career-high 11.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. He shot 56.1% from the field. In the Finals, Kemp averaged more than 23 points per game.
Detlef Schrempf – At 33, Schrempf was still averaging 17 points per game and rounded it out with 5.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists in about 35 minutes per game. He shot 48.6% from the field and 40.8% from three.
Hersey Hawkins – In his first year with Seattle, Hawkins averaged 15.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 47% from the field and 38% from three while attempting 4.6 3-pointers per game.
Sam Perkins – Perkins, primarily a role player off the bench, averaged 11.8 points and 4.5 rebounds and 26.5 minutes per game. He shot 35.5% from three on 4.4 attempts behind the arc per game.
Ervin Johnson – In 18.8 minutes per game, Johnson averaged 5.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.
3 seed: 2011-12
Regular season record: 47-19 (lockout-shortened year)
Playoff result: Lost NBA Finals
Favored to beat the Miami Heat entering the NBA Finals, the league looks back at this rendition of the Thunder as a what-could-have-been with the young cast filled with future MVPs.
Key players:
Kevin Durant – Durant, 23, averaged 28 points, eight rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. In the playoffs, he scored at least 20 points every game and at least 30 points nine times, including in three of the five Finals games.
Russell Westbrook – Westbrook, 23, averaged 23.6 points, 5.5 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game during the season. He scored 37 points in a Game 4 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals and had 43 points in Game 4 of the Finals.
James Harden – The 22-year-old Sixth Man of the Year averaged 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 39% from three. He helped the Thunder sweep the reigning champion Dallas Mavericks with 29 points in a six-point Game 4 win.
Serge Ibaka – Ibaka, 22, averaged 9.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and a career-high 3.7 blocks per game in his third season as a pro. He averaged four blocks in the playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers and two against the Heat.
Kendrick Perkins – Kendrick Perkins posted 5.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 27 minutes per game, all of which were starts.
Thabo Sefolosha – The final starter on this list, Sefolosha averaged 4.8 points and 3.0 rebounds while continuing to provide strong defense and shot 43.7% from three, on 1.7 attempts per game.
Derek Fisher – Fisher signed with the Thunder late in the season and played a prominent role in the playoffs, averaging 25 minutes per game in the Finals.
Nick Collison — Collison averaged 4.5 points and 4.3 blocks in 21 minutes per game.
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