Thunder face tough choices after loss

OKLAHOMA CITY - By keeping largely the same group together and building over time, the Oklahoma City Thunder climbed from the bottom of the league to the NBA Finals.

They were so close to the pinnacle.

Now it gets only more difficult to keep all the pieces in place to try to finish the job.

The Thunder enter the offseason with coach Scott Brooks’ contract about to expire, Sixth Man of the Year James Harden and NBA blocks leader Serge Ibaka eligible for new deals and the future of veterans Derek Fisher and Nazr Mohammed up in the air.

It will be up to general manager Sam Presti to determine whether they all can still fit on a team where All-Stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are already locked into expensive, long-term deals.

“It’s going to be difficult decisions but we’ll see what happens,” forward Nick Collison said Saturday. AP