The Boston Celtics’ reign as defending NBA champions is officially over.
The Oklahoma City Thunder dethroned the Celtics with their 103-91 Game 7 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, capping a historically dominant season with their first championship since relocating from Seattle in 2008.
The Thunder set numerous records during their title run en route to becoming the seventh different team in the last seven years to win it all — an NBA record. The previous record of six consecutive seasons occurred from 1975 to 1980 — a stretch that also included Boston (1976).
The current streak highlights the impressive level of parity in the modern NBA, which has made building a dynasty incredibly difficult.
Just look at the Celtics, who made a strong effort to repeat by keeping most of their historically great 2024 roster together. Boston went 62-20 during the regular season but faltered during the playoffs, losing to the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals after Jayson Tatum’s season-ending Achilles injury.
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Between Tatum’s injury and impending luxury tax penalties, the Celtics will likely take a step back next year as they try to regroup, showing how hard it is to maintain a championship-caliber team.
Oklahoma City may be able to buck that trend, however. The Thunder were the youngest team to win the NBA Finals in 48 years and are primed to keep winning behind their core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (26), Jalen Williams (24), and Chet Holmgren (23), all of whom might still be getting better.
Oklahoma City has plenty of draft picks to play with, too, making the new champs even more dangerous.
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Nothing’s a given in the NBA, but the future looks incredibly bright in OKC. The Thunder are built to dominate the league for the rest of the decade, making it difficult for another team to break through.
