After building one of the most well-rounded rosters in recent NBA memory, the Boston Celtics went 16-3 in the 2023 playoffs and took down the Dallas Mavericks in the Finals with ease.

The Celtics are already looking to replicate their success from last year, starting the 2024-25 season with a 26-10 record, and are the favorites in many people’s eyes to repeat as NBA champs.

On the other side of the league, though, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been dominating the Western Conference. The Thunder have started their season 30-5, coming off a statement win over the reigning champion Celtics on Sunday.

Many fans went into the Thunder-Celtics matchup thinking about the potential 2025 NBA Finals preview, as Oklahoma City showed they are fully capable of taking down this dominant Boston squad.

Former New Orleans Pelicans star and two-time All-NBA center DeMarcus Cousins joined FanDuel’s Run It Back show to share his take on a potential Thunder-Celtics Finals matchup, and how OKC would likely fall short despite having a talent advantage.

“I think [the Thunder] have the talent to [win the NBA title], I absolutely do,” Cousins said. “But, it all comes back down to experience. A regular season game compared to a seven-game series? That’s two different monsters. That Celtics team has plenty of experience of being under that spotlight. This OKC team is young and upcoming. Full of talent. I think they have plenty of title runs down the line, but as of right now, I’m gonna roll with the defending champs.”

Oklahoma City is currently on a 15-game win streak, rolling through the entire NBA en route to the number one seed in the West. While a Thunder-Celtics Finals matchup seems like destiny, nobody truly knows if the experience in Boston would outweigh the immense young talent in Oklahoma City.

Zion Williamson Gets Brutally Honest After Blowout Loss to Warriors

New Orleans Pelicans Make Roster Move After Loss to Warriors

Brandon Ingram’s Honest Statement on Pelicans’ Loss to Warriors