An NBA supercomputer has predicted that the Oklahoma City Thunder will dethrone the reigning champions, the Boston Celtics, in a seven-game Finals thriller this season.

The Celtics claimed their first NBA Championship since 2008 last season, resoundingly beating the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks in a 4-1 series. However, according to Sportscasting, the Celtics will find themselves in the NBA Finals again but they won’t be victorious.

The supercomputer claims that the Thunder will win its first NBA Championship in 46 years, defeating Boston in a seven-game Finals thriller. Their championship-winning season will also see Oklahoma City defeat the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, and the Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals.

Standout point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is tipped to spearhead the Thunder’s efforts, leading the franchise in scoring and playmaking. Australian Josh Giddey will also be a big player for Oklahoma City, providing triple-doubles and high-IQ plays, while Jalen Williams provides vital contributions on both sides of the ball.

Head coach Mark Daigneault has also continued to go from strength to strength. Gilgeous-Alexander has massive respect for Daigneault, who he has worked with since his trade to the Thunder from the LA Clippers in 2019.

“I feel like he’s the same guy. He’s basketball smart obviously,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He’s humble. He commands the room in a humbling way. Guys respect him because of that.”

“Now obviously, his X’s and O’x, he keeps learning like everyone else does, but he has remained the same and consistent throughout the whole process,” he added. “Through the winning and losing, and I think that’s what makes him special.”

The supercomputer says the Thunder will win their first championship in 46 years

The supercomputer says the Thunder will win their first championship in 46 years ( 

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Getty)

OKC has largely stayed injury-free over the last two seasons but they’ve had some struggles this offseason and preseason. Daigneault is committed to using his squad in its entirety. “We have a system that can bend to whoever is on the court,” Daigneault said. “Part of why you do that is if you take injuries, you don’t have to change anything based on who’s available and who’s not. But within that system, each individual player’s style and strengths hopefully can flower.”

He added: “We’re going to be explorational, I would say. But not because (Hartenstein’s) out. That’s just the way we approach the beginning of the season and throughout the season anyway. We’re definitely going to do that as we’ve done in the past.”

The last time the Thunder won an NBA Championship was all the way back in 1979, and it’s their only title to date. Back then, the Thunder were known as the Seattle SuperSonics before their relocation to Oklahoma City in 2008. The SuperSonics could make a comeback in Seattle in the next two years, though, as the NBA eyes a two-team expansion. Seattle and Las Vegas are two leading candidates for new franchises, expanding the league to 32.