The incredible record of the Lakers from '72 that the Thunder have broken!
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company have surpassed the mark of Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor and Jerry West
The 2024-25 season will be marked in the NBA history books thanks to the extraordinary performance of Oklahoma City Thunder. The team finished the regular season with an impressive record of 68 wins and 14 losses, signing one of the best campaigns ever seen.
The team's dominance was absolute: they outscored their opponents by an average of 12.9 points per game, the largest point differential ever recorded in league history. This breaks a record that had been in place for over half a century, set by Los Angeles Lakers in the 1971-72 season, which featured players like Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, and Elgin Baylor. In total, Oklahoma City outscored their opponents by 1,055 points throughout the season.
"We can appreciate and be grateful for what we've accomplished, and at the same time, maintain the hunger to continue growing," stated coach Mark Daigneault. "Both can be true."
The Thunder's dominance was also reflected in the Western Conference standings, which they won with a 16-game lead over the second-place team, Houston. Their record of 68-14 equals that of the Boston Celtics in the 1972-73 season, placing them as the sixth-best team in terms of wins in a regular season, just behind the Warriors of 2015-16 (73-9), the Bulls of 1995-96 (72-10), the Bulls of 1996-97 (69-13), the Lakers of 1971-72 (69-13), and the 76ers of 1966-67 (68-13).
Furthermore, the teams that previously made up the top 5 in point differentials per game —the Lakers of 1971-72, the Bucks of 1970-71, the Bulls of 1995-96, the Warriors of 2016-17, and last season's Celtics— all ended up becoming NBA champions in that same year.
"We have a young team, and I believe it's important for them to understand everything they have achieved," added Daigneault. "The franchise record in wins is a huge accomplishment. Everything we've achieved together, we value greatly. We don't take it lightly. We are grateful and, at the same time, we remain hungry. It has been an incredible regular season. This is a special group of players who deserve these achievements."
Oklahoma City will open the playoffs at home on April 20, against the team determined from the Play-In between Golden State, Memphis, Sacramento, or Dallas.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, ¡El increíble récord de los Lakers del 72 que han batido los Thunder!
