Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Finals Tickets

Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden stood on the sideline while the pain set in. They had just lost the NBA Finals versus LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and the Miami Heat in the summer of 2012. This was the young core's first appearance in the NBA Finals and, like the victor in front of them had before, the Oklahoma City Thunder wanted to really learn what being this close and losing felt like because it would be the best motivation to succeed in the future. As the three men learned that valuable NBA Finals lesson with their teammates and looked ahead to possible redemption in 2013, they would never get the chance to make the return together. James Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets in the off-season, and while he and Westbrook led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a No. 1 seed in the NBA Western Conference Playoffs together, Kevin Durant is now on his own on a journey to the 2013 NBA Finals.

The Thunder's first round NBA Playoff matchup this year was against Harden and his new team, and Westbrook suffered a knee injury midway through the series that now has the All Star point guard sitting in a luxury suite during the games. Now without his two most valuable sidekicks from last year's NBA Finals journey, Durant is being tested not only as the player he is now, but also as the player he will be remembered as in the history of the league. Often regarded as the second best player in the league behind only the other-wordly James, fans are looking to see if Durant can take another leap forward as the one and only leader on his team. We know Durant can fill the hoop - his scoring titles show that. But can he fill the void of teammates gone and injured as the Oklahoma City Thunder attempt to fill an open spot in their Chesapeake Energy Arena trophy case with an NBA Finals trophy?

Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Finals History

While the OKC franchise had NBA Finals success while in Seattle as the Supersonics, the first Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Finals was last year in 2012 against the Miami Heat.

Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Finals Highlights

Many analysts are anticipating a rematch between the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder and other top seed Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. The Thunder learned a lot last year, but this time Kevin Durant may be without teammate Russell Westbrook, who injured his knee.

Thunder - Heat NBA Finals 2012

OKC Thunder NBA Playoffs 2013

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