No. 3 2011-12 Thunder vs. No. 6 1992-93 Sonics
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.
6 seed: 1992-93
A young Kemp and Payton took the Charles Barkley Phoenix Suns to seven games in the Western Conference Finals.
Regular season record: 55-27
Playoff result: Lost Western Conference Finals
Key players:
Ricky Pierce – The shooting guard averaged a team-high 18.2 points with 2.9 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game
Shawn Kemp – The 23-year-old Kemp made his first All-Star game this season as he averaged 17.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.9 blocks per game. In the playoffs, he averaged a double-double with 1.5 steals and two blocks per game.
Gary Payton – At 24 years old, Payton hadn’t yet hit stardom and was a year away from his first All-Star appearance. He averaged 13.5 points, 4.9 assists and 3.4 rebounds while increasing his field goal percentage to 49.4% and getting 2.2 steals per game.
Eddie Johnson – One of the best career sixth-men in league history, Johnson put up 14.4 points in just 22.8 minutes per game for the Sonics.
Derrick McKey – In his final year with the Sonics, McKey averaged 13.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
Sam Perkins – A midseason trade to the Sonics from the Los Angeles Lakers, Perkins was instrumental in the playoff run, averaging 14.4 points, 7.0 boards and 1.9 assists while averaging a steal and a block apiece. He scored at least 20 points in four playoff games and had double-digits in six of seven games against Phoenix.
Nate McMillan – McMillan averaged 7.5 points, 5.3 assists and 2.4 steals in 27.1 minutes per game. He started 25 games.
Michael Cage – The center, who started 66 games, posted six points and eight rebounds per game.
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