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Three NBA Championship Favorites That Faltered As OKC Attempts to Back-to-Back

The banners have barely settled above Chesapeake Energy Arena, but already the 2025-26 NBA season bristles with storylines. Throughout the summer, there have been a slew of marquee talking points, headlined by Kevin Durant and his blockbuster trade to the Houston Rockets, and number one overall pick Cooper Flagg's attempt to fill the boots of Luka Doncic in Dallas. But at the front of the queue when it comes to Larry O'Brien contenders is the reigning champion.

Last season, the Oklahoma City Thunder climbed to the top of the mountain as they won the NBA Finals for the first time in history, and they did so well ahead of schedule. Led by the relentless brilliance of MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander alongside Chet Holmgren’s defensive artistry, this once-rebuilding outfit managed to knock off the similarly Cinderella-like Indiana Pacers in a seven-game thriller to claim a maiden crown. Now, armed with a bucketload of draft picks for the coming years, online odds providers think that the dynasty will continue to take shape in 2025/26.

The latest Bovada NBA odds currently list the Thunder as the +210 to successfully defend their crown, head and shoulders clear of the chasing pack. Nikola Jokic and his +625 Denver Nuggets are the next in line, with +725 Cleveland and the +1100 Knicks not too far behind. But sometimes, the frontrunner tag proves to be a burden, rather than a nod of approval.

The journey from favorite to champion is perilous—a path where one wrong turn can spell disaster, and where expectation is as heavy as any opposing big man in the paint. In fact, the NBA’s annals are loaded with cautionary tales—teams gifted with talent, chemistry, and public confidence, only to tumble spectacularly in April and May. Here are three of them that immediately spring to mind.

Brooklyn Nets (2021-22)

If the modern NBA ever produced a true sports “supergroup,” it was the 2021-22 Brooklyn Nets. Kevin Durant’s effortless scoring. James Harden’s two-motion wizardry. Kyrie Irving’s bag of tricks. With sportsbooks assigning +240 odds, the league’s best, the question wasn’t if but how dominant this team could be.

But the Nets became a cautionary case of too many stars and not enough alignment. Harden’s midseason disillusionment detonated what little cohesion Brooklyn had. Irving’s vaccine saga forced Steve Nash to juggle an ever-changing roster, and the famed “big three” logged just 364 minutes together—barely enough to know each other’s favorite postgame meal, let alone spark championship continuity.

The statistics paint an even grimmer portrait. Brooklyn managed just 44 wins despite their star-studded roster, scraping into the postseason by the skin of their teeth. Under the bright lights, a relentless Celtics defense offered zero respite, and the Nets simply crumbled. With KD's shooting clip slumping to a paltry 38%, Boston secured the 4-0 sweep, and the Nets were duly disassembled in the summer with fans wondering how things went so drastically wrong.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2004-05)

Minnesota’s lone golden age: 2003-04. Fifty-eight wins. Kevin Garnett is pounding his chest as the MVP. A genuine Western Conference Finals push. The Timberwolves of the following season—Garnett, Sam Cassell, Latrell Sprewell—entered the year as the West’s +500 darling, an early favorite in a cutthroat conference.

But optimism quickly bled into malaise. Cassell’s injuries sapped the team’s half-court creativity. Sprewell—memorably declaring “I got a family to feed” during his infamous contract standoff—turned contract drama into a meme and morale-killer. Within months, the league’s most cohesive starting five had unraveled.

As a result, Minnesota’s win tally cratered from 58 to 44. Their net rating nosedived, and their offense, once seventh in the league, tumbled outside the top 15. Chemistry that once seemed unbreakable simply dissolved. The Wolves not only failed to defend their perch—they missed the playoffs altogether, a rare feat for a reigning Conference finalist.

Milwaukee Bucks (2019-20)

Numbers never told a sweeter story than Milwaukee’s 2019-20 season. Giannis Antetokounmpo, only the third man ever to take home both MVP and Defensive Player of the Year honors. A staggering +10.1 net rating—the league’s best in half a decade. Vegas bestowed +550 odds, setting the stage for a coronation.

But sudden change shakes even the mightiest. The bubble, enforced due to global events, was a crucible. The Miami Heat, architects of defensive puzzles, packed the paint, threw a shifting zone at Giannis, and in five games—four defeats, only one win—exposed the Bucks’ lack of offensive imagination. Antetokounmpo’s production cratered: just 21% shooting outside the paint, a stark illustration of his range woes under pressure. Head coach Mike Budenholzer, so lauded in the regular season, proved inflexible—refusing to tweak rotations or experiment as Milwaukee’s offense sputtered.

A 4-1 series loss. A seismic collapse, the echoes of which forced Milwaukee to rethink its championship formula—and reminded the league that versatility, not just dominance, is the real currency of playoff basketball. Luckily, the Greek Freak would have his crowning moment the following year, leading the Bucks to their first championship in 40 years, albeit a year later than planned.