We have reached the Final Four.
The best SuperSonic or Thunder team of all time comes down to these four.
In the first matchup, the top-seeded 1979 championship team faces off against twelfth-seed surprise 2020 squad.
The second seed 1996 team goes against third seed 2012.
Polls are active below. You can click on the next pages for more information about the teams’ rosters and postseason runs for a better idea of the matchups.
The Final Four closes March 31 at 11:59 p.m. The championship round will end on April 4 at 11:59 p.m.
No. 1 1978-79 Sonics vs. No. 12 2019-20 Thunder
1 seed: 1978-79
Regular season record: 52-30
Playoff result: Won NBA Finals
In the only championship in franchise history, the Sonics were led by a young guard duo in Gus Williams, who would be a two-time All-NBA player, and Dennis Johnson, a future Hall of Famer. In the post was Hall of Fame center Jack Sikma.
Key Players:
Dennis Johnson — The 24-year-old, in his third season, made his first All-Star appearance and averaged 15.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Johnson won Finals MVP.
Gus Williams — Williams, 25, averaged 19 points, four assists and three rebounds per game while shooting 49.5% as a point guard.
Jack Sikma — The center with modern shooting and passing traits averaged 15.6 points, 12.4 points, 3.2 assists per game. He made his first of seven straight All-Star games with Seattle.
Fred Brown — The guard averaged 14 points on 46.9% shooting.
Lonnie Shelton — Shelton averaged a block and a steal per game while scoring 13.5 points and shot above 50% from the field.
Paul Silas — The five-time All-Defensive player won his third championship this season, his second-to-last year in the NBA.
John Johnson — The two-time All-Star averaged 29 minutes, 11 points, five rebounds, and four assists per game.
12 seed: 2019-20
Regular season record: 40-24 (postponed)
Playoff result: Fifth seed as of March 11
Hopefully this year’s Thunder team will get more games, because they were one of the biggest pleasant surprises of the league. Despite trading Westbrook and Paul George, Oklahoma City was in the thick of the playoff race.
Key players:
Chris Paul – Statistically the best player during crunch time this season, Paul has averaged 17.7 points, 6.8 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – The key player return from the George trade, the second-year player is posting a team-high 19.3 points with 6.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
Danilo Gallinari – Gallinari, one of the best stretch-fours in the league, is posting 19.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting above 40% from 3.
Dennis Schroder – Schroder has been an elite sixth man this season, averaging 19 points with 4.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds and often closing out games as part of the three-guard lineup.
Steven Adams – Adams is averaging 10.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game to go with about a block and steal apiece in 27 minutes per game.
Luguentz Dort – Dort played himself into a key piece of the rotation with fierce defense. He averages 6.2 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.
Nerlens Noel – In 18 minutes per game, Noel is averaging 7.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, one steal and 1.5 blocks per game.
Terrance Ferguson – Ferguson has started 37 games this year, and in 23 minutes per, he is averaging 4.2 points and 1.5 rebounds.
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.
