Three reasons why Thunder are Celtics’ top threat to title repeat

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Three reasons why Thunder are Celtics’ top threat to title repeat originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

With all due respect to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the two-best teams in pro basketball will meet at TD Garden on Wednesday night when the defending champion Boston Celtics host the Oklahoma City Thunder in a potential 2025 NBA Finals preview.

The Thunder lead the Western Conference standings with a 53-12 record. They have won three of their last four games against the Celtics, including a 105-92 victory in OKC back in January.

The C’s are second in the Eastern Conference with a 47-18 record. The Celtics have won five games in a row and eight of their last 10, including victories versus top contenders such as the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets on the current homestand.

The Thunder are the favorite to win the West and reach the Finals for the first time since 2012. But they are a young team without a ton of experience. This group has not yet advanced past the conference semifinals in the playoffs.

It wouldn’t be surprising at all if their breakthrough comes this season, however. In fact, a strong argument could be made that the Thunder represent the biggest roadblock for the Celtics on their quest to repeat as champions.

Let’s look at three reasons why OKC is such a tough opponent for a team like the Celtics.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is almost impossible to defend

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander racked up 33 points, 11 rebounds and six assists against the Celtics in January.

Gilgeous-Alexander is the favorite for league MVP, and it’s not hard to see why. He’s averaging a league-leading 32.7 points per game, while adding 6.2 assists and 5.1 rebounds per contest. He’s also shooting an impressive 52.5 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent from 3-point range.

Gilgeous-Alexander almost never has a bad game. For example, he has scored 20-plus points in 59 consecutive games. No other active player has a streak longer than nine. If he scores 20-plus against the Celtics on Wednesday, he’ll become just the seventh player ever to put up that many points in 60 straight games, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/three-reasons-why-thunder-celtics-131258695.html

Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2025-03-12 13:12:00

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