2011-2012 Oklahoma City Thunder: To the Finals

July 7th, 2026
By Marneen Zahavi
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Small forward Kevin Durant had already proven himself to be one of the premier superstars of the NBA from the moment he stepped onto the court for a team when they were known as the Seattle SuperSonics. The journey that made Kevin Durant what he is today truly began in Oklahoma City as the go-to guy for the Thunder. The only setback to this 2011-2012 season was that the NBA experienced another lockout situation as the players and owners couldn’t agree to a new collective bargaining agreement in time.

In the lockout-shortened 2011-2012 NBA season the Oklahoma City Thunder went 47-19, winning the Northwest Division by 9 games over the Denver Nuggets. The Thunder went 26-7 on their home court of the Chesapeake Energy Arena and went 21-12 on the road. The Thunder went 10-3 in divisional play.

Kevin Durant had 1,850 points, 527 rebounds, 231 assists, 88 steals and 77 blocks, making 133 of 344 3-point shots and 431 of 501 free throws. Durant would win his third consecutive NBA Scoring Title, make the All-Star Game and be named the Most Valuable Player in that game, and would be named the Player of Month in February and March. Durant would also be named to the All-NBA First Team.

If it wasn’t Durant leading the Thunder’s charge, it would be point guard Russell Westbrook, who was a dynamic superstar player in his own right. Westbrook had 1,558 points, 301 rebounds, 362 assists and 112 steals, making 62 of 196 3-point shots and 340 of 413 free throws. Westbrook would be named to the All-NBA Second Team. Shooting guard James Harden had 1,044 points, 252 rebounds, 229 assists and 62 steals, making 114 of 292 3-point shots and 312 of 369 free throws. Harden would run away with the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award, getting 115 of 119 votes.

Power forward Serge Ibaka had 603 points, 498 rebounds and 241 blocks, making 262 of 490 field goal shots. Ibaka would make the All-NBA Defensive First Team. Center Kendrick Perkins had 426 rebounds and 73 blocks. Power forward Nick Collison made 120 of 201 field goal shots and 44 of 62 free throws. Shooting guard Daequan Cook made 79 of 228 3-point shots. Shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha made 31 of 71 3-point shots. Point guard Reggie Jackson made 13 of 62 3-point shots. Point guard Derek Fisher made 11 of 35 3-point shots. Shooting guard Royal Ivey made 18 of 53 3-point shots.

During the regular season the Thunder managed to go on two separate 7-game winning streaks which helped them get the advantage they needed in the Northwest Division. Their first winning streak began with a 109-94 win over the Houston Rockets on January 6, and it ended with a 97-88 win over the Boston Celtics on January 16. Their second winning streak began with a 110-87 win over the Golden State Warriors on February 17, and it ended with a close 105-102 win over the Orlando Magic on March 1.

The first test for the Thunder was a big one as they went up against the defending NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks in the First Round of the Western Conference playoffs. In very convincing fashion the Thunder swept the Mavericks 4 games to none.

In Game 1 on April 28 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena the Thunder edged out the Mavericks 99-98. Russell Westbrook had 28 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals, making 1 of 2 3-point shots. Kevin Durant had 25 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Serge Ibaka had 22 points and 6 rebounds. James Harden had 19 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, making 2 of 4 3-point shots. In Game 2 on April 30 the Thunder edged out the Mavericks again by the score of 102-99. Westbrook had 29 points and made 1 of 2 3-point shots. Durant had 26 points and 10 rebounds, making 2 of 6 3-point shots. Harden had 15 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.

In Game 3 on May 3 at the American Airlines Center the Thunder won 95-79. Durant had 31 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists, making 4 of 6 3-point shots. Westbrook had 20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, making 2 of 5 3-point shots. The Thunder completed the series sweep with a 103-97 win in Game 4 on May 5. Harden had 29 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals, making 3 of 4 3-point shots. Durant had 24 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists, making 2 of 8 3-point shots.

The next test for the Thunder would be the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals. The Thunder would eliminate the Lakers 4 games to 1. In Game 1 on May 14 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena the Thunder won 119-90. Westbrook had 27 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists. Durant had 25 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, making 2 of 5 3-point shots. In Game 2 on May 16 the Thunder edged out the Lakers 77-75. Durant had 22 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, making 1 of 4 3-point shots. Westbrook had 15 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, making 1 of 3 3-point shots.

The Lakers got their only win in the series by beating the Thunder 99-96 in Game 3 on May 18 at the Staples Center. From there the Thunder took back and kept control. In Game 4 on May 19 the Thunder beat the Lakers 103-100. Westbrook had 37 points and 5 assists, making 1 of 2 3-point shots. Durant had 31 points and 13 rebounds, making 3 of 4 3-point shots. The Thunder would put the Lakers away with a 106-90 win in Game 5 on May 21 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Westbrook had 28 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Durant had 25 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists, making 2 of 6 3-point shots. Harden had 17 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, making 1 of 2 3-point shots.

The Western Conference Finals was a tough test for the Thunder to pass as the San Antonio Spurs stood in their way. The Thunder managed to survive and eliminate the Spurs 4 games to 2. Early on things didn’t look good for the Thunder as the Spurs jumped out to a 2 games to none series lead. The Spurs won Game 1 on May 27 at the AT&T Center by the score of 101-98, and then they won Game 2 on May 29 by the score of 120-111.

The Thunder would finally kick it into high gear, starting in Game 3, which they won 102-82 on May 31 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Durant had 22 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Thabo Sefolosha gave Oklahoma City much needed relief coming off the bench as he had 19 points, 6 rebounds and 6 steals, making 4 of 10 3-point shots. In Game 4 on June 2 the Thunder beat the Spurs 109-103. Durant had 36 points, 6 points and 8 assists, making 1 of 2 3-point shots. Serge Ibaka had 26 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks.

In Game 5 on June 4 at the AT&T Center the Thunder beat the Spurs 108-103. Durant had 27 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists, making 2 of 6 3-point shots. Westbrook had 23 points, 4 rebounds 12 assists and 4 steals. Harden had 20 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, making 3 of 4 3-point shots. The Thunder would take out the Spurs in Game 6 on June 6 with a 107-99 win at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Durant had 34 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists, making 4 of 8 3-point shots. Westbrook had 25 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Harden had 16 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, making 3 of 4 3-point shots.

The 2012 NBA Finals was a heavily anticipated matchup in terms of individual star power as the Oklahoma City Thunder faced the Miami Heat. Fans were intrigued to see individual matchups such as Kevin Durant against LeBron James and collectively “Big 3” matchups in Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden against James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Game 1 on June 12 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena belonged to the Thunder as they beat the Heat 105-94. Kevin Durant had 36 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, making 4 of 8 3-point shots. Russell Westbrook had 27 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists.

Unfortunately the Thunder couldn’t recover in the NBA Finals once the Heat found their footing as the Heat went on to win the NBA Championship 4 games to 1. Despite this end result the Thunder remained a competitive team as they returned to the playoffs on a consistent basis.