The new NBA season is quickly approaching and the Boston Celtics will be looking to defend their title — don’t tell head coach Joe Mazzulla that, though. Boston clinched their NBA record 18th NBA championship this past season by taking down the Dallas Mavericks in five games in the NBA Finals.

The Celtics were the best team all season long and showed their dominance throughout the playoffs. They will be favorites to repeat once again but there will be plenty of challengers trying to take their crown away.

The Eastern Conference got tougher this offseason, with the likes of the Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, and others looking to make their mark. But Boston has their duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, giving them an edge on most teams across the NBA.

The two stars have worked together well on the court, despite tons of off-the-court narratives about them. And heading into the new season, Tatum seems pretty confident in Boston making another run.

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Tatum appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and was asked who he believed would be playing in the 2025 NBA Finals. He made a bold prediction about who he thinks will be in this year’s NBA Finals.”

“The Boston Celtics,” Tatum said before pausing to think of the opponent. “It’s going to be a rematch. We’re going to play Dallas again.”

If Boston were to play Dallas again, it would be one of the more fascinating matchup possibilities. While the Celtics defeated the Mavericks easily in five games, Dallas had a ton of inexperience on their roster.

If they got another chance to win the title, it could be much tougher this time around for the Celtics. Mavericks star Luka Doncic likely learned from his egregious mistakes in the NBA Finals and would be coming for vengeance.

Co-star Kyrie Irving also wasn’t very good during the games and could have a much better showing. But even with this, Boston still would pose a serious threat to repeat.

It could be tough for the Mavericks to make it back as the Western Conference is expected to be a bloodbath once again. The Oklahoma City Thunder got better, the Minnesota Timberwolves have another year of experience under their belt, the Denver Nuggets aren’t going away, and there are other teams vying for the title.

The NBA has as much parity in it as it has in a very long time, potentially giving fans another special season coming up. Tatum doesn’t expect too much change at the top, though.

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