OKC’s Championship Run Was Just Luck and Injuries… or Was It Something Deeper?
Injuries Everywhere You Look
Game 5 of the NBA Finals had a strange feeling. You could see it on the players’ faces. Tyrese Haliburton was trying to move, but his calf clearly wasn’t okay. He ended the game with zero points, looking nothing like himself. On the other side, Aaron Gordon couldn’t finish the game either. Even earlier in the playoffs, Steph Curry went down with a hamstring problem.
Oklahoma City Thunder ended up winning the Finals—and the internet had thoughts.
One meme that blew up showed four injured stars: Ja Morant, Curry, Haliburton, and Gordon. The caption said it all: “How did OKC win the Finals?” People started saying they only won because everyone else got hurt.
And to be fair, they’re not completely wrong.
Steph being out ruined the Warriors’ chances. Gordon’s injury hurt Denver badly. Haliburton trying to play on one leg gave Indiana almost nothing. Even during the Conference Finals, guys like Jamal Murray were dealing with pain.
Fans on Twitter and Reddit didn’t hold back. Some said, “This championship should have an asterisk.” Others joked, “OKC’s biggest strength was good health.” One even posted, “This is the NBA version of plot armor.”
Injuries happen in every season, but this one felt heavier. One after the other, big names dropped, and OKC just kept moving forward.
The Part People Ignore
But here’s what many people don’t talk about.
Yes, OKC had a clearer path because of injuries. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t earn the win.
In Game 5 alone, Jalen Williams scored 40. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 31 points with 10 assists. The Thunder defense forced 23 turnovers. They didn’t just sit back and get lucky—they dominated.
When Haliburton struggled, it wasn’t just because of his injury. It was also because the Thunder kept switching on screens, double-teamed at the right times, and never gave him space. That’s effort and coaching—not luck.
Even before Haliburton’s injury, OKC was already making the Pacers work hard for every point.
Some fans actually stood up for the Thunder. One Reddit user said, “Injuries or not, that team is locked in. You don’t win 4 games just by accident.” Another wrote, “People just don’t want to give OKC credit because they’re young.”
And they have a point.
OKC beat the Warriors, even when Curry was still playing. They beat the Nuggets, who had Jokic and Jamal Murray. They didn’t just avoid the hard teams—they went through them. The Thunder were fast, smart, and calm under pressure.
So maybe injuries helped. But that doesn’t mean OKC didn’t deserve every win they got.
The Real Reason They Won
The truth is simple: the Thunder didn’t waste a single opportunity.
They played hard. They trusted each other. They stuck to the game plan. Every time the other team slipped up—even because of injury—OKC took advantage.
Haliburton gave his all, but he was clearly hurt. Steph is a future Hall of Famer, but even he can’t win with a torn-up hamstring. Aaron Gordon was huge for Denver’s defense, but he couldn’t finish the series.
Still, the Thunder never let go of control. Even when the games were close, they played like they expected to win.
It’s easy to laugh at memes and say, “They got lucky.” But behind that joke is a team that’s been rebuilding for years. Drafting smart. Developing players. Believing in defense. Growing together.
They didn’t buy superstars. They built them.
This Finals run will always be remembered for all the injuries—but it should also be remembered for how OKC showed up. For how Jalen Williams had the game of his life. For how SGA stayed calm and deadly all series. For how they never took a single win for granted.
So yeah, maybe luck opened the door.
But OKC still had to walk through it. And they didn’t just walk—they ran through it like they were on a mission.
