The NBA Finals matchup is set and the first game airs on Thursday, June 6th and it will be played in Boston.
The NBA Playoffs are approaching their end as the NBA Finals get closer and closer. This year the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics will battle it out to decide who will lift the Larry O’Brien trophy at the end of the season. Before I hop into the Finals matchup, let’s review how both teams got here.
Easiest Path to Finals?
The Boston Celtics have had an uneventful post-season. They have only lost two games on their way to the Finals. They dominated all season long so it makes sense for them to be so dominant in the playoffs. However, many fans have pointed out how easy their path to the Finals was.
The Celtics are representing the Eastern Conference in the Finals, a conference which was notably weaker than their Western counterpart. Simultaneously, all the teams that the Celtics went up against were injured one way or another.
Their first round matchup consisted of a Miami Heat team without their star player, Jimmy Butler. Their second round matchup was against a Cleveland Cavaliers team that was already missing key players like Jarrett Allen. Then, the Cavaliers also lost star player Donovan Mitchell during the series.
Finally, they played the Indiana Pacers team in the Eastern Conference semifinals. In this game, Tyrese Haliburton was inhibited and eventually taken out due to a lingering hamstring issue.
Likewise, even looking out at the bigger picture, the Eastern Conference was injured as a whole. A lot of impactful players weren’t there for their teams when they needed them.
Credit: Shutterstock/Gints Ivuskans
Injuries in Other Teams Meant Victories for the Celtics
Teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, and Philadelphia 76ers were all dealing with significant injuries to their key players.
It’s not like the Celtics were an exception to injuries. Kristaps Porzingis has been injured and out of the lineup for quite some time now.
It just feels like for a team as talented as Boston, they’ve yet to encounter a team that really pushes them to the limits. With that being said, it seems like they needed a lot of lucky shots to go in to beat a Pacers team without their star player.
They swept the Pacers, beating them 4 times in a row. However, none of those wins felt as dominant as they usually are.
The Dallas Mavericks Make it Back to the Finals
The Dallas Mavericks haven’t made it to the Finals since 2011. Similarly, they made it here on the back of their European star. Only this time, it’s not Dirk Nowitzki but Luka Doncic.
According to Basketball Reference, Luka Doncic leads all players in the 2024 playoffs in points, rebounds, and assists. He was also the scoring leader this season averaging 33 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists.
Their superstar is a reason they’ve made it this far. But, even with his elite decision-making and shot creation, he’s not the sole reason for their success.
You can’t have a Batman without a Robin. And Kyrie Irving seems to be a match made in heaven with Doncic by his side. This backcourt has been fun to watch and historic in the playoffs.
The Challenging Path Faced by the Mavericks
The Mavericks, almost exactly opposed to the Celtics, have had one of the more difficult paths to the Finals.
In the first round, they were matched against a Clippers team loaded with star power. They ended up winning in 6 games. But, that never felt like a guarantee as they entered a pivotal game 5 tied 2-2 with LA.
In the second round, they matched up against the OKC Thunder. The Thunder were the one seed and although young, they still took two games away from the Mavericks. They also took care of them in 6 but once again they found themselves in an important game 5 where the series was tied.
Finally, they had to go against Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves to make it to the Finals. The Timberwolves had just defeated the reigning champs, the Denver Nuggets, and with the meteoric ascension of their young star Anthony Edwards, this team looked poised to make a Finals run.
That is, until they were faced with the elite duo of Doncic and Irving, who sent them home in 5 games.
I’ve placed a lot of emphasis on their backcourt but this Finals run is also fueled by key contributions by Derick Lively, PJ Washington, and Daniel Gafford. Two of these players were mid-season acquisitions and Lively is a rookie who was drafted with the 12th overall pick.
Storylines Within the Finals
The biggest storyline with this year’s Finals matchup has to be Kyrie Irving going up against his former team, the Boston Celtics. Nowadays, Irving is seen as a leader and a vet of the game with a cool composure.
The only team that seems to get under his skin is the Celtics. Similarly, the fanbase of Boston holds a lot of resentment for Irving and every time he plays there, colorful langue is always used.
He’s not the only player playing against his former team, the formerly mentioned Kristaps Porzingis spent some time with the Dallas Mavericks. Unfortunately, due to injury, he wasn’t able to have a consistent period with the team which led to him being traded.
Finally, another big storyline with this year’s Finals matchup is surrounding Jayson Tatum and his legacy. Tatum is still a young player and his skills don’t look like they’re diminishing anytime soon.
This is more so about how he hasn’t been able to get the Celtics over the hump and to their 18th banner as an organization. Ever since he was drafted in 2017, the C’s have always been in playoff contention and they’ve always had component rosters.
Winning a championship isn’t easy but out of all the young stars, Jayson Tatum has gotten the most opportunities to get one. I believe this is why his “legacy” is on the line. If he fails to bring home a championship to Boston, I believe that the team will begin to look at trade options for their superstar.
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