Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard turned quite a few heads with his most recent statements on the Oklahoma City Thunder, the defending NBA champions, heading into the 2025-26 NBA season.
The previous postseason was action-packed, as fans hoped, with the Indiana Pacers and Thunder making it out of their respective conferences and securing a trip to the NBA Finals. In a dramatic seven-game series, the OKC Thunder prevailed, making franchise history in the process.
While the Celtics initially hoped to defend their position as NBA champions, they lost in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs to Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks. With the new season only a few weeks away from commencing, Pritchard shared his thoughts on the defending champions and their most recent title run.
What Did Payton Pritchard Say About the OKC Thunder’s Championship Run?
Pritchard claimed that the league allowed the Thunder to use excessive physicality. The Thunder had the best defensive (106.6) and net ratings (12.7) in the regular season. In the playoffs, the Thunder had the best defensive rating at 105.7 and ranked second in net rating at 8.6.
“When you see OKC, who won the championship, they get away with a lot of hands, fouls, physicality, stuff like that,” Pritchard said. “The NBA, in the playoffs, is allowing a lot more physicality.”
Payton Pritchard says the Thunder got away with a lot of fouls in the playoffs
“When you see OKC, who won the championship, they get away with a lot of hands, fouls, physicality, stuff like that. The NBA, in the playoffs, is allowing a lot more physicality.”
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The Thunder’s run to the Finals had fans wondering if referees and officials favored them, not only with their stifling defense being allowed but also with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drawing fouls.
The defense that referees allowed stars on the OKC Thunder to play — such as Alex Caruso famously guarding Nikola Jokić — stunned fans. Gilgeous-Alexander has also gained notoriety for his consistent trips to the free-throw line throughout the season.
The Thunder have several defensive-minded players, including Gilgeous-Alexander, Caruso, Luguentz Dort, Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace, and Jalen Williams.
In any case, the Thunder are the current defending NBA champions and will have a metaphorical target on their backs, with every team looking to win against them next season. Fans are left wondering what this team will be able to accomplish in the 2025-26 NBA season.