NBA Finals: Can the Mavericks Beat the Celtics?
The stage is set and the excitement is palpable. After the Dallas Mavericks clinched the Western Conference Finals with a commanding 124-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5, they’re now gearing up to face the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals.
The Mavericks have been virtually unstoppable, finishing the regular season on a 16-4 run and dispatching the Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Timberwolves in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics have been a powerhouse all year, finishing the regular season with the NBA’s best record (64-18) and cruising through the playoffs, having won 12 of 14 games and entering the Finals on a seven-game winning streak.
With the Finals tipping off on Thursday, June 6, let’s dive into what promises to be an exhilarating showdown.
Intriguing Storylines: Kyrie Irving and Kristaps Porzingis
The 2024 NBA Finals are brimming with fascinating narratives, especially when you consider Kyrie Irving and Kristaps Porzingis.
Irving, who spent the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons with Boston, had a tumultuous tenure there, marked by plenty of drama and an eventual fallout with the franchise. Now, facing his former team, you can bet he’s itching to prove a point.
On the flip side, Kristaps Porzingis, who suited up for the Mavericks from 2019-2022, didn’t quite find his groove in Dallas, either. Though less dramatic, his exit was still significant. As these two players look to make a statement, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Adding to the excitement, the Celtics are chasing an 18th championship to outdo the Lakers, while the Mavericks, established in 1980, are aiming for just their second ring. Can Dallas pull off another underdog victory like they did in 2011?
A Tale of Two Franchises: Legacy vs. Underdog
In this highly anticipated matchup, the Mavericks and the Celtics each have something unique to bring to the court. The Celtics, steeped in legacy with a rich history of championships, stand in stark contrast to the Mavericks, who have only one title under their belt but are hungry for another.
Dallas has been on fire since March, becoming one of the league’s top teams. Their upset against the Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals was no fluke, as they were +142 underdogs before pulling off that series win. In many ways, the current setup feels like déjà vu; the Finals betting odds are once again stacked against them at +184 to win the NBA Finals, but I don’t count them out just yet.
One of the most compelling elements of this series is the Mavericks’ noticeable improvement in defense. During the regular season, their defensive rating was 115.3, positioning them as the 13th-worst in the league. However, they’ve turned that around significantly in the postseason, dropping their rating to 111.1—the seventh-lowest among the 16 playoff squads. While they’re not quite at the level of the Celtics’ elite defense, which has a 108.7 rating in the playoffs, the Mavs’ transformation is noteworthy. Their rim protection, in particular, has been stellar, reducing points in the paint from 49.6 per game to 42.7. Dereck Lively’s remarkable defense, highlighted by a team-best 107.1 rating, has been crucial.
A key battleground will be in the paint, where Dallas has the potential edge. Boston’s inside scoring isn’t as dominant, averaging the third-fewest points in the paint during the regular season. But containing the Celtics’ three-point attack presents another challenge. Boston leads the playoffs in three-point attempts and makes per game. Dallas, however, has improved in this regard as well, cutting down on opponents’ three-point attempts from 35.2 in the regular season to 32.9 in the playoffs.
Scoring isn’t a concern for the Mavericks, with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving leading the charge, each averaging at least 27.0 points per game in their previous series. Dallas’ main hurdle will be defensively, especially against Boston’s high-powered offense, which had the highest rating in the regular season and sits at the second-highest in the playoffs. Slowing down Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will be critical, and while Derrick Jones Jr. has been a standout defender, they’ll need more players to step up.
Though the Celtics are the clear favorites at -220, the Mavericks might just have more of a fighting chance than many anticipate. With their recent defensive resurgence and a chip on their shoulder, this underdog team could make this series more competitive than expected.
