The 2024 NBA Finals have arrived, and the combatants are set, representing the Eastern Conference will be the top seeded Boston Celtics, from the West, will be the fifth seeded Dallas Mavericks.
We’ve compiled a history of highs and lows for both teams, their talent, and who we think will win it all tonight.
The Boston Celtics
Many fans and media pundits thought The Boston Celtics playing in the NBA Finals was a foregone conclusion at the beginning of the season. That decision to switch stances was not just in an effort to go against the grain, but because the Boston Celtics have failed to win a championship with their current core, despite spectacular regular season statistics and win totals.
Their core of forward Jayson Tatum, shooting guard turned small forward Jaylen Brown, big man Al Hoford, and sixth man point guard Derrick White, have been staples of May NBA action for a years now. The current roster, led by head coach Joe Mazzulla, is different from the 2022, which was coached by current Houston Rockets’ Ime Udoka
The Celtics this year have more or less made a mockery of the Eastern Conference, sweeping The Indiana Pacers in four games in the Eastern Conference Finals, trouncing the Cavaliers in five games the round prior, and whooping The Heat in the first round of the 2024 playoffs; five games with all four of their victories being blowouts.
This was all achieved after having the one seed in the Eastern Conference, with a record of 64-18, an astounding 14 wins ahead of the second place New York Knicks (50-32). This 14 game gap is supposedly the largest ever for a regular season conference winner and runner up.
The way The Celtics dominated their conference is perhaps controversial in the eyes of many NBA fans, nobody will argue this loaded roster isnāt talented, but they certainly have the luck of the Irish on their side.
Luck On Their Side
The Celtics got massive breaks from injured teams. The Heat were without their best player, small forward Jimmy Butler who led the Heat to two of the previous 4 NBA Finals, The Cavaliers lost shooting guard/ small forward and perennial All Star Donovan Mitchell mid series after begging the series without All Star center Jarrett Allen, and Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton suffered the same fate as Mitchell.
This does not necessarily mean Boston are āfrauds,ā but it could certainly mean they are not as tested as Dallas. Boston themselves have had to deal with a crucial injury, former Maverick and Bostonās current defensive anchor, big man Kristaps Porzingis, missed the Eastern Conference Finals and Semifinals with a calf injury.
Porzingis played very well this season, averaging 20.1 points per game, 7.2 rebounds per game, and 2 assists, while shooting 51.6% from the field, 37.5% from three point land, and 85.8% from the free throw line.
An injury prone player getting injured should not be used as an excuse or reason for failing and thankfully The Celtics have not had to as he should be ready to go by Game 1 on Thursday June 6th. Boston has obviously succeeded, despite losing Porzingis, as the tandem of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have played well this postseason.
The Ballad Of Brown And Tatum
Beginning with Brown, Jaylen was named the 2022 Larry Bird Most Valuable Player, an honor bestowed upon the MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals, an honor Tatum won for Boston in 2022. Brown had good reasons to win the third annual LBMVP, after averaging 29.8 points per game, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals per game across the four game sweep.
Tatum had more points, rebounds, and assists per game than Brown, putting up 30.3, 10.3, and 6.3 respectively. However, Brown had much better efficiency, shooting 51.7% from the field and 37% from beyond the arc. His free throw percentage of 65.5, though, was terrible.
The most likely reason for Brown getting the LBMVP was for his epic three pointer in Game 1, to get The Celtics to overtime, where they obviously won. This play was definitely the defining play of the series, as it highlighted that the experience and discipline of The Boston Celtics was on a superior level than that of Indiana.
Threats From Holiday
Shooting guard Jrue Holiday finally had a breakout series. After beginning the postseason as an afterthought offensively, the 33 year old veteran scored an impressive 18.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game, all of which are higher than his total postseason averages. Holiday is already among the best defensive guards in the NBA, so if he continues to be more of a threat offensively, that could drastically swing the Finals.
Point guard Derrick White had yet another solid series, averaging 16.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 2.0 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game, a stellar defensive performance out of the point guard position. White also hit a go ahead three pointer in game 4, which ultimately closed the series. The Celtics steamrolled The Pacers in game 2, but won narrowly in games 1,3, and 4.
Are They Underestimated?
This will come off as contradictory or as a loss in focus, but the current Celtics roster is more battle tested than people realize.
Last season they were upset in the Eastern Conference Finals by the seventh seeded Miami Heat, but what many people forget is that Boston came back from down 3 games to none in that series, only the fourth time in NBA history a team on the verge of being swept, to force a game 7.
This could be the first Celtics team in 15 seasons to win the NBA Finals. The roster is loaded, they have experienced players, Mazzulla seems to have gotten more comfortable coaching this group of players, and most importantly, they have home court for games 1,2,5, & 7.
Everyone counts them out, but they won 64 games for a reason. Sure, they got lucky in the playoffs with injuries, but with a record of 12-2 in the playoffs, what are the odds they just got lucky 76 times?
The Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks, as a franchise, are radically different to that of the Boston Celtics.
For years, it seemed like they were a day late and a dollar short. Their āTriple J Ranchā core in the 90ās of Jim Jackson, Jamal Mashburn, and current Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd never got close to the finals, with all three players going on to have long careers elsewhere, while Dallas dwelled in the basement of the league until the early 2000ās.
Dallas let future first ballot hall of famer and two time league MVP point guard Steve Nash go in free agency after the 2003-2004 season, to their rivals, the Phoenix Suns. Most recently, they let point guard ,Jalen Brunson, go for nothing in free agency after the 2022 season, to the Knicks. He has since become arguably the best player to wear a Knicks uniform since Patrick Ewing.
The Mavericks have become fixated on making sure they never feel this again, certainly not with 25 year old Slovenian prodigy Luka DonÄiÄ at the tip of their spear.
Mavericks Find Magic
Since DonÄiÄ got drafted in 2018, Dallas felt like they could be the juggernauts of the league, beating up on teams the way San Antonio and The Lakers used to beat up on them when Dirk was there, lacking the talent around the German big man to threaten those other elite teams.
Since he started his career in the 2018-2019 season, DonÄiÄ has averaged 28.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game, while shooting 47% from the field, 34.7% from three, and 74.7% from the free throw line. All of these stats are beyond impressive. This would be an MVP caliber season, for it to be a five year span, is nothing short of incredible.
That being said, Lukaās 2023-2024 campaign saw him surpass every single one of those stats in the regular season, and that prowess has only continued into the postseason, the Western Conference Finals in particular. Luka averaged 32.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and 2.2 steals across the five game series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, including a master performance in Game 5.
In the series sealing game 5, Luka had 20 points in the first quarter, finishing with 36 points, to go along with 10 rebounds, and 5 assists in 37 minutes of work.
Luka is not alone, as he has quite the group of teammates surrounding him. They may not be as star studded as The Celtics roster, but one name surely stands out: Kyrie Irving.
A Deal Of A Lifetime
Irving is a spectacular player, with many calling him the most technically skilled player ever. An offensive dynamo at all times and a defensive stopper when he wants to be. Dallas added him halfway through last NBA season when he requested a trade, leaving The Brooklyn Nets.
Kyrie has a reputation of being a coach killer, saying outlandish things on social media, but Dallas saw an opportunity to acquire him for cheap and they took it. All the distractions that at times overshadowed the 8 time All Star and 3 Time All NBA guard, have ceased, as heās bought into what theyāre selling and likely saved his career in the process.
Kyrie decimated the Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals, scoring 27 points per game, hauling in 3.6 rebounds, and earning 4.6 assists across the 5 game duel. While those stats are not as jaw dropping as Lukaās, what Irving did as a defensive guard cannot be overstated, locking down every guard Minnesota threw at him, including wunderkind Anthony Edwards.
Honorable Mentions
Alongside arguably the best backcourt duo ever is rookie center Dereck Lively, who has been a breakout star for The Dallas Mavericks this season, being named to the NBAās Second All Rookie Team this season. Dallas acquired big men PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford from The Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards respectively.
āThree-and-Dā specialist Derrick Jones Jr. has provided much needed support in two categories that Dallas has lacked during the DonÄiÄ era. Jones Jr. shot an impressive 46.2% from three against Minnesota. The Mavericks hope this current core can finally shake the history of āalmostā that has defined them for much of their 43 year history.
The Matchup
This should be a really exciting series, which would be welcomed as last year’s NBA Finals were pretty forgettable. Most people inaccurately predicted The Timberwolves to defeat The Mavericks and what happened was as jarring as it was unsurprising. Dallas beat them in just five games, and in the game they did lose, it was a slim loss. Luka missed free throws to seal their defeat, something uncharacteristic of āEl Matadorā.
Meanwhile, The Boston Celtics have been doing exactly what is expected of them, defeating lesser teams, while not letting losses here and there shatter them. So far Boston has gone 12-2, never having lost two games in a row this postseason.
A storyline to keep an eye out for is that of Kyrie Irving having been a Boston Celtic, saying he would resign with them, and then reneging on that verbal commitment.
Kyrie faced The Boston Celtics twice in the postseason, while a member of The Brooklyn Nets, and both times it was obviously contentious between him and the Boston faithful. Heās not the only one facing their former team this series, as Boston big man Kristaps Porzingis was a player for The Dallas Mavericks from the 2019-2020 season to the 2021-2022 season.
Our Prediction
I think this series will be close and must watch television, however, I think Dallas will win.
It is important to note that Boston whooped them both times they played this season, outscoring them 257-220 in those two games. However, I think The Boston Celtics doesnāt have an answer for Luka DonÄiÄ or Kyrie Irving, not to mention Jason Kidd is a much more experienced head coach than Joe Mazzulla, who is in just his second year at Bostonās helm.
I have Dallas in six, clinching on home court, finals MVP: Luka DonÄiÄ.
The Mavericks have become the first team in NBA history to knock off three 50 win teams en route to the Finals. Boston won a lot of close games against Indiana and Cleveland. One can argue The Pacers lack of pedigree was just as much their downfall as the prowess of the mighty Celtics.
If The Boston Celtics lost, this would be only the second time in NBA history that a team that lost fewer than 20 games failed to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy, which is why I think they can steal two games. As mentioned numerous times, the talent is there.
Nevertheless, what DonÄiÄ and The Dallas Mavericks have done this postseason has just been too masterful Sometimes it’s less about you and more about them. If The Boston Celtics lose, there should be no shame. Both teams have had excellent runs to this point.
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