By: Austin Hanson 

     With the 2025-26 NBA season well underway and approaching the halfway point, lots of teams have found their groove, while others are looking to bounce back from early struggles. Along with this, a wave of injuries has fallen over some of the league’s best players, with almost every team having a significant setback because of an injury.  

     No team has captured the attention of basketball fans like the Oklahoma City Thunder have this year, as they have opened the season tied for the best beginning record in NBA history, going a formidable 24-1 over their first 25 games. Along with this, OKC, the defending champions this year, is one of the younger teams in the league, making them a scary team to play for years to come. To go along with their staggering record, the Thunder also have the reigning MVP Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander on their team, who is having his best season yet, all while only playing in 11 of OKC’s fourth quarters, proving his asserted dominance, as well as his team’s dominance. Not to mention OKC’s suffocating defense, which is ranked as the best defense in the league, leading to them bulldozing their way through teams and winning games by an average of 20 points or more. The Squire asked freshman Eisenhower basketball player, Kymani Vine if he thinks that the Thunder can break the record for the best regular season record in NBA history, and he explained that he thinks they can. However, he also added, “I think that eventually they will fall into a slump and lose a couple games.” 

     Throughout NBA history, the western conference has been known to be the most competitive conference. This year, however, the eastern conference has had an emergence of teams battling for the top playoff seeds, which has caused an unexpected shake up in predictions for who will be crowned champion at the end of the season. Some of these teams from the east include the Pistons, Knicks, and Raptors. Likewise, in the west, the Thunder, Nuggets, and Lakers are all battling for the top seed in their conference. When asked about it, Vine explained, “Since the start of the season, I was saying the Spurs were going to win it all, but since Wembanyama got hurt, I think that the Thunder will repeat.”  

     To go along with the competitive race within the conferences, the MVP race is extremely close. The top three players leading the MVP race so far are Shai Gilgeous Alexander, Luka Doncic, and Nikola Jokic. All three players are having the best seasons of their career, and, to go along with that, their teams are having a great season as well, with each team being at least top three in their respective conference. Vine shared with The Squire about who he thinks will win MVP, “I think that the MVP is between Jokic and Luka, as they have significantly better stats then the rest of the candidates, and they have also led their teams to significantly better records then the rest.” Vine also explained that he doesn’t think that Shai will win, as his stats aren’t as good as the rest and his team also has other star players. 

     With still more than half of the season to go, this NBA season is sure to be one to remember, with the historic season from the Thunder, competitive conference battle for top playoff seeds, and extremely close MVP race. The Squire thanks Freshman Kymani Vine for his time and be sure to tune in to a game the next chance you get!