Wednesday night's battle between the Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder may have been an NBA Finals preview. The Thunder have the league's best record and the Celtics are favored to win the Eastern Conference, so it wouldn't be surprising to see them meet again in June.
They're also the two most recent NBA champions and are battle-tested, whereas their top competitors, the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs, are younger and less proven.
On Thursday's episode of "First Things First," Nick Wright explained why he's taking Boston over Oklahoma City to win the title this year.
"This is why I picked the Celtics to win the title. I think that they have the easier path than the Thunder and I think they match up well with the Thunder," Wright said.
“This is why I picked the Celtics to win the Title. I think that they have the easier path than the Thunder and I think they match up well with the Thunder.”@getnickwright says last night’s Celtics-Thunder game taught us more about Boston: pic.twitter.com/cq9SuEum2k
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) March 26, 2026
Boston proved that on Wednesday night, overcoming a double-digit deficit in the first quarter to win by double digits. Six Celtics players scored in double figures as they managed to crack the best defense in the NBA.
He discussed how Boston getting Jayson Tatum back is more impactful than OKC getting Jalen Williams back. He also noted that the Thunder's lead over the Spurs in the Western Conference standings is down to two games following Wednesday's loss.
"This loss puts the Thunder in real jeopardy of not being the one seed," Wright added, explaining that Oklahoma City has a much harder schedule than San Antonio the rest of the way.
With the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets in the mix as well, winning the West won't be easy for the Thunder. Meanwhile, a healthy Celtics team should be able to win the East and potentially go all the way.
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