Paul Pierce praises Thunder, ‘may very well be the making of a dynasty’

Celtics

“This has got to be the most mature young team I’ve ever seen.”

By Hayden Bird

June 24, 2025 | 10:45 AM

2 minutes to read

Paul Pierce praised the Thunder’s title win: While he admitted thinking “anything can happen in a Game 7” beforehand, former Celtic Paul Pierce gave the favored Thunder credit for navigating their way to a first NBA championship.

“Hats off to the Thunder,” Pierce concluded during a recent appearance on Fox Sports’ “Speak.” He predicted it might not be the last title run for Oklahoma City, which defeated the Pacers in seven games.

“This could be the making of a dynasty,” Pierce explained. “It’s definitely got the infrastructure for it. I’ve said it before.”

Specifically, Pierce noted how mature the younger Thunder roster was in the moment of victory. The 2008 champion was surprised by how calm MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was after winning.

“This has got to be the most mature young team I’ve ever seen,” said Pierce. “I’m looking at Shai celebrate…it wasn’t really celebrating.”

Pierce humorously imitated Gilgeous-Alexander saying that the win “doesn’t feel real” in a monotone voice.

“You’re supposed to be out there like, ‘We got it!’” Pierce joked. “A 26-year-old, for me to see that, I’m like woah. That’s telling me, he’s not satisfied. He’s going to enjoy this feeling this summer. He’s going to put the work in to try to do this again, and that’s what I kind of got out of this.”

Trivia: Who is the only player other than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to win MVP, Finals MVP, and the league scoring title all by the age of 26?

(Answer at the bottom).

Hint: He was a 19-time NBA All-Star.

Scores and schedules:

The Red Sox lost to the Angels 9-5 on Monday night. The two teams meet again tonight in Anaheim at 9:38 p.m.

Tomorrow, the Revolution host Nashville at Gillette Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

More from Boston.com:

Alex Cora’s postgame thoughts: The Red Sox manager sounded off after being thrown out of a second straight game.

On this day: In 2010, Dustin Pedroia hit three home runs and went 5-for-5 in a 13-11 win over the Rockies. In a vintage display from the “Laser Show,” Pedroia finished his night with 15 total bases.

Daily highlight: Twins shortstop Brooks Lee covered a lot of ground to make a quality catch on Monday.

Trivia answer: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar