2015–16 Oklahoma City Thunder season
The 2015–16 Oklahoma City Thunder season was the 8th season of the franchise in Oklahoma City and the 50th in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the first under head coach Billy Donovan. After coming just short of making the playoffs the previous season, the Thunder won the Northwest Division and clinched the third seed in the Western Conference. In the playoffs, the Thunder defeated the Dallas Mavericks in five games in the First Round, and the San Antonio Spurs in six games in the Semifinals (which was also Tim Duncan's final NBA game) before reaching the Western Conference finals for the fourth time in a span of six seasons, but were eliminated by the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in seven games after leading the series 3–1.
| 2015–16 Oklahoma City Thunder season | |
|---|---|
Division champions | |
| Head coach | Billy Donovan |
| General manager | Sam Presti |
| Owners | Professional Basketball Club LLC |
| Arena | Chesapeake Energy Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 55–27 (.671) |
| Place | Division: 1st (Northwest) Conference: 3rd (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Western Conference Finals (lost to Warriors 3–4) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | Fox Sports Oklahoma |
| Radio |
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After almost pulling what would've been one of the biggest upsets in professional sports history over the 73–9 Warriors, the Thunder missed out on what would’ve been their first Finals appearance since 2012. The Warriors would go on to lose in seven games against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals after they too led the series 3–1.
After the season, Kevin Durant controversially left the team in free agency for the Golden State Warriors.