It's fitting that Oklahoma City is on the verge of a championship for the same reason it won so many games and set so many records this season: Defense.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Former Santa Clara Broncos great Jalen Williams had a career playoff-high 40 points, MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 31, and the Oklahoma City Thunder moved one win from a title by beating the Indiana Pacers 120-109 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night.

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During its 111-104 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Friday in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Oklahoma City became the highest-scoring team in league history, eclipsing a record the Golden State Warriors held for six years.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became the NBA's Most Valuable Player primarily by being a dominant scorer. In Game 5 of the NBA Finals, he showed he’s pretty good as a more traditional point guard, too.

So transfixed by not only the team, but also the city, Anderson’s magazine story was the precursor to “Boom Town” — Anderson’s book, published in 2018, that intertwines the rise of Oklahoma City with Thunder basketball. “Boom Town” is equal parts historical and hysterical in telling the story of Oklahoma City.