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The NBA finals for this season are set to start on Friday 7th June, 2024. The seven-game series between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks will run from Friday till 24th June 2024. The big question on everyone’s mind is, who will emerge victorious? Here’s our take on this
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The games will be emotionally charged and with high stakes for sure. Some pundits have labeled it a legacy-defining competition for both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, especially Luka who has been unstoppable this season. While the Celtics have been one of the most dominant teams all season, it’s still hard to predict them winning this series, given how good the Mavericks have been as well embodied by Luka Doncic’s stellar form in these playoffs. It’s most likely going to be close, extending into a six or seven-match thriller.
HEAD TO HEAD
Both teams have faced each other a total of 86 times in the regular season. The Boston Celtics won 46 of the matches while the Mavericks have won 40. Their last regular season game was on March 1, 2024, which the Celtics won 138-110. The last time the Mavericks defeated the Boston Celtics in the regular season was in March 2022 when they won 95-92. The Celtics are currently on a four-game winning streak against the Mavericks in the regular season and will look to extend the streak in the finals.
FORM
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The Boston Celtics completely owned the Pacers in the East Conference finals defeating them 4-0 to win the finals. The Dallas Mavericks put up a similar performance but won the West Conference finals 4-1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. They have lost only once in their last five games and it was a close one 105-100. Both teams look to be in excellent form so far with the Celtics in a slightly better overall form as a team than the Mavericks.
BOSTON CELTICS
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The Boston Celtics have been one of the most dominant and balanced teams all season and have the best net rating in NBA history. They have the best offense in the league and the second-best defense making them incredibly balanced and capable on both ends of the court. This plays in their favor historically as teams with a top-five offense and defense have a 7-2 record in the finals. In contrast, the Mavericks have a less capable defense ranked 18th in the League.
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum
The elite wing duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will cause a lot of trouble for the Maverick’s defense. Both players have been incredibly effective in the playoffs and will most likely put up a similar performance in the finals where they could overwhelm the Mavericks’ defense. Defensively, the Celtics have proven to be quite capable but they are yet to be tested by offensive dynamos at the level of Doncic and Irving who have been ripping through defenses all post season. If the Celtics are going to win this, they are going to have to find a way to maximize their attack and defense to give a solid performance. Their goal may be to shut down the rest of the Dallas team, leaving Doncic and Kyrie to cook in isolation because they will score a lot and there isn’t much any defense has been able to do to keep them from scoring so far.
DALLAS MAVERICKS
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If the Dallas Mavericks are to win the series, it will take consistent MVP performances from Doncic and Irving. Doncic has proven that he can be that guy all season with his dominant display in the playoffs and Kyrie Irving is only slightly less dangerous. Normally, it would look like things would go in favor of the Celtics but when you have a player whose presence can change a game like Luka Doncic, it’s hard to bet against the Mavericks.
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Luka Doncic has been the best player on the court this series by a mile. His stats in these playoffs are simply phenomenal. He averages 31.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 8.2 assists in the playoffs. In the Western Conference Finals, Doncic put up 32.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists against the best defense in the league. If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s that Doncic will have a good series. They may slow him down but it’ll be damn near impossible to completely lock him out. He will pick holes and find gaps in the Celtics defence that even they didn’t know existed. And in the unlikely scenario that they lock him out, the Mavericks still have Kyrie Irving, one of the best closers in the league with a history of making big time shots on the biggest stage.
Kyrie Irving
Whatever the results and whichever way it will go, it’s going to be close, marginal coming down to specific moments. The profile of both teams promises that the series will extend to six or seven games. It’s not going to be a walkover for anybody, whoever comes out on top will have to work really hard for it.
PROJECTED LINEUPS
BOSTON CELTICS
Jrue Holiday
Derrick White
Jaylen Brown
Jayson Tatum
Kristaps Porzingis
DALLAS MAVERICKS
Luka Doncic
Kyrie Irving
Derek Lively
Derrick Jones Jnr.
Dante Exum
Which team do you think will emerge victorious?