ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith had some high praise for the Miami Heat and one of their great eras when talking about the Oklahoma City Thunder’s title in the 2024-25 season.
Smith was asked if he sees the 2024-25 Thunder as an all-time great team, and he shared that he believes Miami with its Big 3 of LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade would have beaten this version of the Thunder. The Big 3 Heat were among a few teams Smith named in the hypothetical.
.@stephenasmith says he doesn't view the 2025 Thunder as an all-time great team 😯
"I think that they're an all-time great defensive team, but overall, I look at their offense and they would've had trouble with a lot of teams." pic.twitter.com/JHLVsXhb0D
— First Take (@FirstTake) June 23, 2025
“No, I do not,” Smith said when asked if he views the 2024-25 Thunder as an all-time great team. “I think that they’re an all-time great defensive team. But overall, I look at their offense, and they would’ve had trouble with a lot of teams.”
Smith clarified that he sees this Thunder team as good enough to “warrant the question,” but he remained firm in his view.
“I believe the Golden State Warriors with Kevin Durant would have beaten them,” he said. “I believe the San Antonio Spurs with [Tim] Duncan, [Manu] Ginobili and those boys would have beaten them. I believe the Miami Heat with D-Wade, LeBron, Bosh and those boys would have beaten them.
“I believe the [Los Angeles] Lakers with Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal) and Kobe [Bryant] would’ve beaten them. I believe the Chicago Bulls with [Michael] Jordan and [Scottie] Pippen and those brothers would have beaten them.
“That’s five right there. Now, when we talking about you as a all-time great team, I can’t come up with five opponents off the top of my head that would have taken you out.”
The Thunder won 68 games in the 2024-25 regular season and ended up winning the Finals over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night in Game 7. While OKC did need seven games to win the Finals, it only lost seven total games all postseason (none to the Memphis Grizzlies, three to the Denver Nuggets, one to the Minnesota Timberwolves and three to Indiana).
Still, it’s hard to argue with Smith’s line of thinking, especially when it comes to the Heat and their Big 3 of Wade, Bosh and James.
During their four-year run together in Miami, Wade, Bosh and James made the NBA Finals in every season, winning two titles in the process.
Since retiring, Wade and Bosh have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. James – the NBA’s all-time leading scorer – is still going strong with the Lakers and will certainly be inducted into the Hall of Fame when he decides to step away from the game.
However, fans can only speculate about a matchup between the Big 3 Heat and current-day Thunder since the two squads will never match up. Oklahoma City was one of the teams that Wade, Bosh and James actually beat in the Finals (while Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were there), and the Thunder had not made it back to the Finals until the 2024-25 season.
If the 2024-25 Thunder want to be remembered as an all-time great team, they may have to achieve more as a group in the future for analysts like Smith to give them the nod over some of the other top teams in NBA history.
