The Celtics are slated to face the red-hot Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday at 3:30 PM.
It’s safe to say both teams are excited at the prospect of facing each other– a potential Finals preview.
“They won, and we’re trying to win,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “It’ll be fun.”
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“Defending champs, they know what it takes to win at the highest level,” added Jalen Williams. “A lot of added extra motivation for us to see where we’re at.”
For the Celtics, winning is the expectation. They’ve been doing it since the days of Red Auerbach and Bill Russell, and that expectation has remained the same through many different generations.
The Thunder, on the other hand, while competitive, have never captured the illustrious Larry O’Brien trophy. Led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company, however, they now look like their best shot.
Injury Report
Both teams are dealing with injuries to star players.
The Thunder have been without Chet Holmgren since their early November loss against the Warriors, during which he suffered a scary hip injury.
As for other injuries, they’ll be without key veteran Alex Caruso (hip), and ascending Rookie Ajay Mitchell (Toe).
Jaylen Brown is also in danger of missing this key game, as he’s questionable to play with a Shoulder Strain.
On the bright side– as long as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jayson Tatum are playing, this game should be exciting.
X’s & O’s
The Thunder thrive on running their offense through Center Isaiah Hartenstein.
Although he’s listed as 7 feet, his dribble hand-offs with lengthy Wings and Guards such as Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe has propelled the Thunder offense to a new level.
They’ve just got so many athletic, lengthy, and young 3&D players it’s astounding.
“We’re a very deep team… guys that do whatever it takes to win,” said Gilgeous Alexander after Friday’s win against New York. “We all just want to win at the end of the day.”
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As for the Celtics, their mantra has stayed consistent under Joe Mazzulla.
Make 3’s, win games.
They do both of those things. The Celtics have drained 3,319 threes in the Mazzulla era—far and away the most in the league. They’ve also won 174 games—again, the most in the league (and a Championship).
The most anticipated adjustment Joe Mazzulla will have to make involves Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Who’s up to guard somebody averaging 32.6 PPG over his last 10 games?
Jayson Tatum is the man for that job.
It’s evident he wants to prove himself as an elite defender —this year especially. Nobody has forgotten what Steve Kerr put him through in the Paris Olympics.
Recently, Anthony Edwards became one of his many targets.
Safe to say Jayson Tatum won that battle, and I expect him to do a solid job against the insanely-talented Gilgeous-Alexander.
In 3 minutes of matchup minutes last year, Jayson Tatum held him to 1/4 FG (25%).
If he’s able to do that again, the Thunder are in for a rude awakening to their 14-game winning streak.
Prediction and Final Thoughts
The Celtics will most likely win this game.
That’s not a knock on the Thunder– they’re missing multiple key players.
If Jaylen Brown is cleared to play (which I anticipate he will be, considering he made the trip), the Thunder will be out of options to guard the Celtics’ superstar tandem.
Lu Dort can not guard 2 people at once, although I wouldn’t put it past him.
Sunday. 3:30 PM EST. The whole basketball world will be watching.
Are the Thunder ready to show that they’re favorites, or do the Celtics prove yet again that they’re quite frankly unbeatable?
Those questions will be answered soon.
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