All season long, the Oklahoma City Thunder displayed dominance unlike any other team and that all culminated with their first trip to the NBA Finals in 13 years.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - Oklahoma City, sparked by 34 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012 by routing Minnesota Timberwolves 124-94 on Wednesday.

Sam Anderson, a staff writer for The Times Magazine, first wrote about the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012. He is the author of “Boom Town” (2018), a book about the team and the city it calls home.