OKLAHOMA CITY — Despite being up by a gazillion points, none of the 18K Paycom Center fans left their seat to beat traffic. It costs an arm and a leg to be inside the building. Considering what the scoreboard showed, they wouldn’t throw away being part of basketball history to get home a little earlier.

The Oklahoma City Thunder destroyed the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 124-94 Game 5 win. That sealed the series result as the first seed clinched their spot in the NBA Finals with a fivegame Western Conference Finals.

“This is an unbelievable fanbase, an unbelievable community. I’ve said this many times, but we’ve got a young team. We’ve had a young team for the last couple of years and the positivity in the community, the support and encouragement through the ups and downs really puts the wind at our back,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “When you got a young team, players that are still trying to find their footing in professional basketball and exist in a place both in the arena and community where everybody kinda has your back through the ups and downs is helpful.”

The Thunder set the tone early. Any faint hopes for Minnesota were quickly erased. By the time the first quarter ended, the Timberwolves looked disinterested and shocked at the same time. Early turnovers led to transition buckets for OKC. They held an eye-popping 26-9 lead after the frame.

That momentum continued in the second quarter. They scored 39 points in the frame to balloon their halftime lead to 65-32.

The Thunder’s star trio once again showed out. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a quick 20 points while Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren each scored 15 points. Everything went their way while the Timberwolves looked mentally checked out.

As theThunder drowned the Timberwolves on the scoreboard, the OKC grew louder. The fanbase realized what they were on the cusp of. For the first time in over a decade with years filled with regret and heartbreak, this year’s squad made the Western Conference Finals look like NBA 2K on rookie mode.

The second half turned into an impromptu party. Any pregame nerves were squashed. The OKC crowd cheered and danced along. They spent more time on their phones Googling what time the nearest Dick’s Sporting Goods closed than they did biting their fingernails over a Timberwolves comeback.

Minnesota prettied up the scoreboard with a 30-point third frame. But the Thunder kept a firm distance with an 88-62 lead. Later on in the fourth quarter, Lu Dort’s catchand- shoot 3-pointer was finally enough for the Timberwolves to wave the white flag on their season and clear the bench with a little over six minutes left. OKC soon followed as Daigneault greeted each starter on its way to the bench.

The Thunder shot 52% from the field and went 14-of-35 (40%) from 3. They shot 18-of-21 on free throws. They had 26 assists on 46 baskets. Five Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with an efficient 34 points. Holmgren had 22 points and seven rebounds. Williams finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Dort had 12 points and Isaiah Joe had 11 points.

Meanwhile, the Timberwolves shot 41% from the field and went 12-of-34 (35.3%) from 3. They shot 12-of-15 on free throws. They had 16 assists on 35 baskets. Four Timberwolves players scored double-digit points.

Anthony Edwards was quiet with 19 points and six rebounds. Julius Randle led Minnesota with 24 points and five rebounds. Naz Reid and Terrence Shannon Jr. each had 11 points.

And now, what’s been at the back of everybody’s minds for the entire season has become official. The Thunder are back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012. Hearing all year about how other West teams didn’t fear them because of youth and inexperience, they were a buzzsaw with a 12-4 playoff record and led by as many as 39 points in the game-sealer to punch their ticket.

“Ithoughttoday,we’reup 3-1 and coming home, all the psychological human elements in that game would get you to exhale. I don’t think we handled Game 6 in Denver well. We did not play our best game in terms of what we can control,” Daigneault said. “Certainly Game 3 in this series. Those are both games with leads. I thought our recognition and course-correction of that is a great example of that. These are rich experiences. We’ve played a lot of playoff games now and dealt with a lot of different things. This team, as they’ve always done, internalized the experiences and stripped the emotions and learned the lessons.”

Now, the Thunder wait for their NBA Finals opponent. Whether the Indiana Pacers or New York Knicks, expect OKC to enter as the heavy favorite. It took most folks to start believing in them only once they saw it with their own eyes, but their Western Conference destruction has made them into basketball’s Death Star everybody fears.

“It’s such a fun team. We’re happy we’re going to the Finals, but I don’t want to stop coaching this team either. That’s how they are every day. It’s just an unbelievable experience that they show up and be around them. I think they gain that energy from each other,” Daigneault said. “It’s also a long season with a lot of ups and downs. Energy is a resource, and they bring energy to the environment and each other. We all benefit from that. I’m first and foremost. I’m able to coach my best with these players.”

With its second NBA Finals appearance, the Thunder will now play the winner of the Eastern Conference finals series matchup between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks.

A limited number of Finals tickets for Thunder home games are available and go on sale at www. okcthunder.com/buytickets starting Friday, May 30 at 10 a.m. Fans can also purchase guaranteed, authentic tickets from season ticket members and other fans through www.okcthunder.com/buytickets, as available. Only tickets sold through the Thunder website via Ticketmaster are guaranteed to be authentic and ensure entry into Paycom Center for the game.

With the Thunder’s home-court advantage, the Finals schedule begins at Paycom Center and is as follows: Game 1, Thursday, June 5, 7:30 p.m. in Oklahoma City Game 2, Sunday, June 8, 7 p.m. in Oklahoma City Game 3, Wednesday, June 11, 7:30 p.m. (away) Game 4, Friday, June 13, 7:30 p.m. (away) Game 5 (if necessary), Monday, June 16, 7:30 p.m. in Oklahoma City Game 6 (if necessary), Thursday, June 19, at 7:30 p.m. (away) Game 7 (if necessary), Sunday, June 22, 7 p.m. in Oklahoma City The NBA Finals will air exclusively on ABC. Following each game, the Thunder will offer a postgame show with interviews with players, hosted by Paris Lawson, Nick Gallo, and Royce Young. It will be available on the Thunder App, Thunder Connected TV app, Thunder YouTube, the Fan-Duel Sports Network App, and on KSBI-52 in Oklahoma City.

All games will be carried live on the Thunder Radio Network, led by WWLS 98.1 The Sports Animal in Oklahoma City. All Thunder home playoff games will be available in Spanish on WKY 930 AM radio in Oklahoma City.

Fan favorites such as Thunder UP in the Park, playoff T-shirts, half-off home game concessions, and Loud City Live inside Paycom Center for road games will continue through the Finals. The Thunder will announce expanded fan experiences in the coming days.

Western Conference championship and NBA Finals gear are available now at www.okcthunder. com/shop and at the Thunder Shop in Paycom Center. The Thunder Shop is open during home playoff games and during regular store hours, Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.

To get updates on Finals, ticket giveaways, and more, fans can text PLAYOFFS to 405.877.5558, visit www. okcthunder.com/playoffscentral, or follow Thunder social media channels.

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