3 Teams we'd love to see Thunder play on opening night of 2024-25 NBA Season

Dallas Mavericks

A matchup against the Phoenix Suns and, more specifically, Kevin Durant would be a revenge game in the sense of personal internal vendettas.

One against the Mavericks, however, would be a revenge game of greater and more relevant magnitude, as they're the ones who wound up cutting Oklahoma City's season short during last year's second-round matchup.

Despite coming into the series as the number one seed in the Western Conference Standings and fresh off a clean sweep over the New Orleans Pelicans in the quarterfinals, Dallas managed to take full advantage of the Thunder's weaknesses.

From utilizing their size advantage (the biggest player on the Thunder by far was Chet Holmgren who, though 7-foot-1, weighs 208 pounds soaking wet) and capitalizing on the club's lack of secondary offensive creators, coach Jason Kidd schemed up a plan to put the pressure on OKC to try and win despite their key rotational deficiencies and, in the end, they wound up being eliminated in six games.

Now, after an offseason where they specifically addressed these particular sore spots -- notably the signing of 7-foot, 250-pound big Isaiah Hartenstein and the trade for elite 3-and-D guard Alex Caruso --, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company are likely champing at the bit as they await their first crack at facing the Mavs with their revamped talent pool in tow.

Getting a shot at redemption right on opening day could be a great way to showcase just how much better the Thunder have gotten over just a few months.