Two late
springs ago, the boys from “Beantown” were up in 2022 NBA Finals over the boys
from the “Bay Area” but fell in six games, losing the series clincher at home.
Last season, the boys from “Beantown” overcame a 3-0 series deficit in the 2023
East Finals only to fall to the eventual Eastern Conference champions from “South
Beach” in seven games, losing the final game of the series at home. The boys
from “Big D” were in the Western Conference Finals two late springs back but fell
in five games to those eventual boys from the “Bay Area.” Unfortunately last
year despite a blockbuster deal in early February 2023, where they acquired one
of the best guards in the NBA, the boys from “Big D” faltered down the stretch
and missed out on the Playoffs entirely. The boys from “Beantown” ran through
the league in this regular season and in the postseason to win the East, while
the boys from “Big D” ran the gauntlet of the stacked Western Conference to
reach The NBA Finals. Now both squads with several days to rest and prepare
will take each other on in the 2024 NBA championship round. Here is the 2024
J-Speaks NBA Finals Preview.
The
Boston Celtics were the top team record wise in the NBA right from the start of
the regular season and registered 64 regular season wins, registering the Top
Seed in not just the Eastern Conference but the best record in the entire NBA.
That earned them homecourt advantage throughout the postseason, including in
the upcoming NBA Finals that gets underway this Thursday, June 6, 2024 (ABC).
The
Dallas Mavericks, who finished the regular season 50-32 and claimed the No. 5 Seed
in the stacked Western Conference.
Despite
not having homecourt advantage, the Mavericks took down the No. 4 Seeded Los
Angeles Clippers (51-31) in the opening-round 4-2. They followed that up by
taking down the No. 1 Seeded Oklahoma City Thunder (57-25) also 4-2. In the
West Finals, the Mavericks took down the No. 3 Seeded Minnesota Timberwolves
(56-26) 4-1 to win the West and reach The Finals for the third time in
franchise history.
The Celtics
journey to their 23rd Finals appearance in their franchise history,
the second most in NBA Playoff history to the 32 appearances by the Los Angeles
Lakers on paper was a good one where they went 12-2 in taking down the No. 8
Seeded Miami Heat (46-36) in the Opening-Round 4-1. Then proceeded to take down
the No. 4 Seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the East Semifinals 4-1. In the East Finals,
the Celtics swept the No. 6 Seeded Indiana Pacers (47-35) 4-0.
For most
teams, going 12-2 the first three rounds of a postseason would bring both
praise and respect, especially after following up a 64-win regular season with
that kind of a mark. For the Celtics, they drew criticism from the sports media
for their lone Game 2 missteps at home in the First Round versus the Heat and
in the East Semis versus the Cavs.
Second-Year
head coach Joe Mazzulla also drew criticism for not being challenged in the
first two rounds because the Heat were missing key personnel in perennial
All-Star Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier. In the East Semis, fellow All-Star of
the Cavs Donovan Mitchell missed the final two games of the series because of a
calf injury.
The
Celtics also drew criticism for not playing, in many close games or having to
pull a game out in the clutch time except for their Game 4 victory in the Semis
at the Cavs.
In the
East Finals, the Celtics’ critics got their wish as they played three “Clutch
Games” against the Pacers, winning all three, taking Games 1 and home and in
Games 3 and 4 at the Pacers.
Even
with all of that, the Celtics are back in The Finals for the second time in the
last three seasons and as just mentioned the 23rd time in their storied
history.
The
Celtics are four wins away from winning their 18th NBA title in
franchise history because of how perennial All-Star forwards Jayson Tatum and
Jaylen Brown have performed during this postseason despite how critics have
felt they have gotten to The Finals.
By the
numbers, Tatum has had the best all-around postseason of his career with
averages of 26 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. The issue has been his
shooting efficiency throughout this postseason, which has been at 44.2 percent
overall from the floor and just 29 percent from three-point range.
So far
this postseason, Tatum has totaled 11 double-doubles, with seven coming in the
last eight games. That includes a triple-double, which he registered in the
Celtics’ Game 1 victory (114-94) of the opening-round versus the Heat totaling
23 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, going 8/8 at the charity stripe, overcoming
a 7/18 performance from the floor, including 1/8 from three-point range.
The
difference for Tatum compared to past postseasons has been his ability to get
to the foul line, where he has averaged 7.9 attempts and has made 84.5 percent
of those chances at the charity stripe.
By each
round, Tatum’s numbers in terms of scoring, assists, and field goal percentage
have risen, while the rebounding have been constant.
Jayson
Tatum Stats Points Rebounds Assists FG% 3-Pt.%
By Round 2024 Playoffs 1st RD 21.8
10.4 5.4 41.6 29.0
2nd RD 26.8 10.4 6.2 44.1
27.3
3rd RD 30.3 10.3 6.3 46.3
30.6
The
other half of Celtics dynamic All-Star duo in Brown has been very consistent in
terms of his production this postseason averaging 23.0 points, 5.5 boards, and
3.6 assists on 49.9 percent from the floor and 35.4 percent from three-point
range.
In the
first two rounds of this postseason when Tatum was trying to find his shooting
touch, it was Brown who picked up the slack in that area and that allowed the
Celtics to keep rocking and rolling.
In the
East Finals, Brown played perhaps the best basketball of his career in the postseason.
In Game 1, Brown had 26 points with seven rebounds and five assists on 10/20
shooting. His lone made three right in front of the Pacers’ bench tied it late
in regulation following a Pacers turnover tied the score and the Celtics
prevailed in overtime 133-128 to take a 1-0 series lead on May 21, 2024 (ESPN).
Two
nights later, Brown tied his Playoff career-high with 40 points with five
boards going 14/27 from the floor, including 4/10 from three and 8/11 at the
free throw line.
Those
first two games of East Finals earned Brown the Larry Bird Award as Eastern
Conference Finals MVP and helped the Celtics make the most of their third
straight appearance in third round and their sixth in the past eight seasons.
Jaylen
Brown Stats Points Rebounds FG%
3-Pt.%
By Round 2024 Playoffs 1st RD 22.8
7.0 52.2 32.1
2nd RD 23.4 6.2
59.2 42.9
3rd RD 29.8 5.0
51.7 37.0
Back in
the offseason of 2023, the Celtics made two key additions via trade acquiring All-Stars
in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to go alongside the supporting cast of
Al Horford, Derrick White, who the Celtics acquired from the Spurs in February
2022, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Luke Kornet, and Xavier Tillman, Sr., who
the Celtics acquired at the Feb. 9, 2024 NBA Trade Deadline from the Memphis
Grizzlies.
In
acquiring Holiday, the Celtics brought in a true legit floor general who can do
it on both ends of the floor, especially defensively.
By each
round, the floor general, who helped the Bucks win it all in 2021 by each round
of this postseason has increased his production while making key plays in the
clutch in the East Finals against the Pacers.
In the aforementioned
Game 1 triumph in East Finals, Holiday scored a Playoff high 28 points with
eight assists and seven rebounds on 10/16 from the field, including 4/8 on his
triple tries. Following his first double-double of this postseason (15 points,
10 assists), going 3/4 from three in the Celtics 126-110 victory in Game 2 ,
Holiday had a solid 14 points and nine rebounds in Game 3 victory (114-111) at
the Pacers on May 25, 2024 (ABC), making three key plays in the closing minutes
to help the Celtics pull out the “clutch” victory as they overcame an 18-point
deficit in the first half.
Holiday’s
score and a foul on the Pacers’ All-Star Pascal Siakam on a drive to the hoop
put the Celtics up 112-111 with 38.9 seconds left. Moments later, Holiday stole
the ball from Pacers’ Andrew Nembhard on a drive to tie the game and following another
foul from Siakam nailed what would be the game-clinching free throws that put
the Celtics up 114-111 and the victory as the Pacers’ Aaron Nesmith missed the
game-tying triple at the final buzzer.
Jrue
Holiday Stats Points Rebounds Assists FG% 3-Pt.%
By Round 2024 Playoffs 1st RD 7.8 4.8
4.4 35.0 36.8
2nd RD 13.0 5.2
3.8 51.0 40.0
3rd RD 18.5 7.0
5.8 58.7
41.7
The
Celtics have made this postseason run for the most part without Porzingis (12.3
ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.5 bpg, 38.9 FG%, 40.0 3-Pt.%), who has been out since the first
half of Game 4 of the opening-round at the Heat due to a right calf strain.
In
Porzingis absence, the Celtics have relied on Horford to man the middle and the
37-year-old, who came off the bench for nearly half of the regular season
stepped in and did the job.
Dating
back to the regular season, the Celtics have gone 23-2 in their last 25 games
that Horford has started. That includes a 9-1 mark this postseason.
One of
those postseason victories without Porzingis came in the previously mentioned
Game 3 comeback win where Horford scored 23 points with five boards and three
block shots, going 8/14 shooting, and 7/12 from three. The seven made threes by
Horford set a new overall career-high.
This
performance by Horford came on the heels of a six-point, 10-rebound, two-steal
performance in the Game 2 rout. In the Game 1 win versus the Pacers, Horford
had 15 points with six boards and three blocks making three triples (5/15
FGs-3/12 3-Pt.).
For
three straight postseasons beginning in the 2020 restart in Orlando, FL, the Mavericks,
under now Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, have been led by perennial All-Star
Luka Doncic. In his first two postseason appearances, Doncic and the Mavericks
lost to the Clippers 4-2 in 2020 and 4-3 games in 2021.
The
Mavericks, under now head coach and Hall of Famer Jason Kidd finally won their
first Playoff series since winning their lone NBA title in 2011 taking down the
Utah Jazz in the opening-round of 2022 postseason 4-2. After a hard fought
first six games in the West Semis against the then No. 1 Seeded Phoenix Suns,
the Mavericks roasted and toasted the Suns in Game 7 (123-90), leading in the
game by as many as 46 points.
In the
West Finals, the Mavericks were battling out of their weight class as they went
down to the eventual NBA champion Warriors 4-1.
Last
season, the Mavericks were in prime position to make it back to the postseason.
They especially felt confident they could get back to the West Finals after
they acquired Kyrie Irving on Feb. 6, 2023, from the Brooklyn Nets to team up
alongside Doncic.
The pairing
had its share of growing pains, especially in close games where the two could
not get on the same page in terms of who would take the last shot to win in the
game in the closing seconds of a game.
That
along with the fact Doncic and Irving missed games due to injury and the fact
that they took a major slip defensively the Mavericks in ability to play any
consistent defense closed 2022-23 with a 9-18 mark and just missed the Playoffs
with a 38-44 record.
In the
early stages of this season, the Mavericks, despite Doncic and Irving finding
their footing on the hardwood were playing just average basketball being no
more than seven games over .500 (23-16 Jan. 11, 2024).
The
dynamics of this season for the Mavericks completely changed when at the Feb.
8, 2024 NBA Trade Deadline acquired P.J. Washington from the Charlotte Hornets
and Daniel Gafford from the Washington Wizards.
The
additions of Washington and Gafford, coupled with the drafting of Dereck Lively
II (No. 12 overall) out of Duke University, who was acquired on Draft day 2023
from the Thunder coupled with new addition Derrick Jones, Jr. made the
Mavericks a much better defensive team and even more balanced offensive team.
That
balance on both ends was the result of
Washington, Gafford, Jones, Jr., Maki Kleber, Josh Green, Dante Exum,
Tim Hardaway, Jr., and Jaden Hardy accepting their roles and letting Doncic and
Irving handle the heavy lifting at the offensive end and putting the rest of
the cast in position to score off the doubles the two draw.
Counting
the three wins before their deadline deals, the Mavericks closed 2023-24 with a
24-9 mark dating back to Feb. 5, 2024 going from being in the Play-In bracket
of the Western Conference Playoff race to clinching as previously mentioned the
No. 5 spot in the West, one game ahead of the No. 6 Seeded Suns (49-33). Only
Celtics ironically enough at 26-6 had a better mark to close 2023-24 dating
back to Feb. 5, 2024 than the Mavericks.
After
dispatching the Mavericks and the Thunder the first two rounds’ of 2024
Playoffs to get back to the West Finals for the second time in the last three
seasons, the Mavericks showed much improved they have been on both ends of the
hardwood dating back to the regular season.
In taking
down the Minnesota Timberwolves and their rising phenom in All-Star Anthony
Edwards, the Mavericks did it by winning the first three games of the series in
“clutch time.”
The
Mavericks won Game 1 on May 22, 2024 (TNT) at the Wolves (108-105) behind their
dynamic backcourt tandem of Doncic and Irving.
Irving
was the star in the opening half, scoring 24 of his 30 points going 11/14 from
the floor. He finished the game 12/23 shooting.
Doncic closed
the deal in the second half scoring 15 points on 5/8 from the field, including
2/3 from three and 3/3 at the foul line in the fourth quarter. He finished with
33 points with six assists, eight boards and three steals on 12/26 from the
floor and 6/7 at the foul line.
In Game
2, it was Doncic and Irving who ruled the fourth quarter with Doncic closing
the deal in the final period to help the Mavericks win Game 2 (109-108) two
nights later.
Doncic
hit the eventual game-winning triple over the Kia Defensive Player of the Year
Rudy Gobert with 03.8 seconds left. It capped 30-point triple-double by Doncic,
his sixth of this postseason with 32 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds on
10/23 from the floor, including 5/11 from three and 7/7 at the foul line.
Irving
scored 13 of his 20 points in the final period going 4/5 on his triple tries.
He finished with 20 points and six assists on 7/16 from the floor and 4/7 from
three-point range.
In the
Game 3 victory (116-107), the Mavericks once again shined in the fourth period,
especially in clutch time, led again by Doncic and Irving.
Irving,
who had 33 points on 12/20 shooting, including 3/6 from three and 6/8 at the
foul line, scored 14 of those 33 points on 5/7 from the floor and went 3/4 at
the foul line in the final period.
Doncic,
who had 33 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and five steals on 10/20
shooting, including 5/11 from three, and 8/10 from the charity stripe scored
seven of those 33 points making all three of his free throw attempts in the
final period.
The
Mavericks in the final period outscored the Wolves 29-20, with Doncic and
Irving combining to outscore the Wolves in the fourth quarter 21-20.
In Game
4, the Mavericks came up short in “clutch time” as they failed to sweep the
Wolves falling 108-105 May 28, 2024 (TNT).
While Doncic
registered his league-leading sixth triple-double of 2024 Playoffs with 28
points, 10 assists and 15 rebounds, going 10/12 at the foul line, he managed to
go just 7/21 from the floor despite going 4/11 from three.
Irving
also struggled registering 16 points on 6/18 from the field , including 1/6
from three.
After
combining for 21 points on 7/12 shooting, including 3/5 from three with five
assists with the score within five points in the final five minutes the first
three games of the series, Doncic and Irving combined for just two points on
1/5 from the floor, including 0/3 from three and totaling just one assist in “clutch
time” in Game 4.
At the
defensive end, the Mavericks after holding the Wolves to a total of 11 points
on 3/12 from the floor, including 0/7 from three in the final three minutes of
the first three games of the series, outscoring them 24-11. In Game 4, the
visitors from Minneapolis, MN in the final three minutes outscored the
Mavericks 10-3 going 4/6 from the field.
The
Mavericks got off the canvas in Game 5 and led by Doncic and Irving sparkled in
Game 5 and closed the door on the Wolves season two nights later in their house
winning in dominant fashion 124-103 to win the series 4-1 (TNT).
Doncic got
the party started for the Mavericks with 20 points on 8/11 from the field,
including 4/6 from three-point range in the first quarter. He finished with his
13th double-double of this postseason with a series-high 36 points
and 10 boards with five assists on 14/22 from the floor and 6/10 from three. That
included a first half where Doncic scored 25 points and five rebounds on 10/16
from the field, including 5/8 on his triple tries.
Irving
kept things going with 15 points in the second quarter (5/5 FGs, 4/4 Fts) and
finished also with 36 points and five assists on 14/27 shooting, including 4/10
from three.
During
the regular season, the Celtics swept the season-series 2-0 over the Mavericks,
winning by an average of 18.5 points. The “C’s” won the first meeting (119-110)
at the Mavericks. They won the second tilt in Boston (128-110) Mar. 1, 2024
(ESPN).
The
Celtics have won the past four regular season meetings over the Mavericks.
What
will decide this series is which dynamic duo between Doncic and Irving for the
Mavericks and Tatum and Brown for the Celtics will rise to the moment and take
this championship series by the horns?
Through
the first three rounds of 2024 postseason, Doncic and Irving have averaged 51.6
points, 14 assists and 13.5 rebounds.
They
have played and gelled so well together on both ends of the hardwood that it
had the TNT crew of Kevin Harlan, Hall of Famer Reggie Miller and Stan Van
Gundy as the most “skilled” or even the best backcourt of all-time.
If they
win the title, they could put themselves into that conversation up against the
Warriors two-time Kia MVP Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, who have four titles
to their credit. Then there is the Hall of Fame duo of Hall of Famers Isiah
Thomas and Joe Dumars, who led the “Bad Boys” Detroit Pistons to back-to-back
titles in 1989 and 1990.
Doncic
and Irving will get put to the test against Holiday and White, who earned spots
on the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2023-24 and have made their marks in
the NBA especially at the defensive end.
In
helping the Bucks win the 2021 title, Holiday defensively gave then lead guard
Chris Paul fits.
The
Celtics also can put Brown and Tatum on Doncic and possibly Irving if he gets
going offensively.
In the
two regular season meetings, Doncic and Irving totaled 112 points, making up
for 51 percent of the Mavericks 220 points.
Doncic
in the two regular season meetings averaged 35 points, 12 assists and 15
rebounds on 47.3 percent shooting. But only connected on 29.4 percent of his
triple tries.
While
Doncic and Irving have shown great improvement defensively, Holiday and White
have proven in these Playoffs that when called upon to rise to the moment
offensively, they have.
Dating
back to the regular season, the Celtics are 31-1, including a perfect 8-0 in
2024 Playoffs when Holiday has scored 14-plus points, which he has done in
eight out of the past nine games.
Another
factor that will decide this championship series is who can protect their home
court and which team can win a game in the opposing team’s gym.
Since
the league changed the opening-round from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven in
2003, the Celtics and (6-2 at home; 6-0 on the road) and Mavericks (5-3 at home;
7-2 on the road) are just the fifth and six teams out of 44 in this span that
have reached The Finals with a better road record than home record.
The
Celtics dating back to the 2021 Playoffs are just 18-15 at TD Garden, which is
where this title series will begin on Thursday, including 17-14 since the 2022
Playoffs. But have gone a stellar 19-7 on the road.
For the
Mavericks, they have won five straight on the road and have yet to lose two
straight entering this championship series.
The
other deciding factor will be which squad can generate and defend the three-point
shot while also being the better defensive?
In the
first three rounds of the 2024 Playoffs, the Celtics have outscored the Heat, Cavs,
and Pacers by 9.9 points per game from three-point range.
Celtics
Total Made Threes Jayson Tatum 229 Jaylen Brown 145
By Player 2023-24 Sam
Hauser 197 Jrue
Holiday 138
Derrick White 196 Kristaps Porzingis 110
Payton Pritchard 147
Al Horford 108
In the
postseason, Pritchard off the bench has gone 20/44 from three (45.5 3-Pt.%). Holiday
(15/31: 48.4%) and White (36/76: 47.4%) have ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in catch-and-shoot three-point percentage this postseason
amongst the 45 players with at least 25 such attempts.
The big
thing for the Celtics is their ability to mix up taking threes while generating
shots from the mid-range and getting to the foul line.
While
they have led the 2024 Playoffs in shooting percentage in the paint (63.2%) but
rank dead last, No. 15 in percentage of shots that have come from the paint
(42%).
Brown
so far this postseason has shot 65.1 percent (97/149 FGs) in the paint, that is
the best amongst the 16 players with at least 100 attempts in the paint, which
is up from 60.7 percent in the regular season.
Tatum
in comparison has gone just 20/60 (33.3%) on pull-up two-point shots, the worst
amongst 21 players who have at least 25 such attempts.
During
the regular season, the Celtics were an incredible 38-1 when they shot over 39
percent from three-point range. But were 6-11 record when they shot under 32
percent on their triple tries. Eleven out of their 18 defeats during the
regular season came when they shot under 32 percent from three.
They
were 27-0 when they made over 18 three-pointers, which included the
aforementioned Mar. 1, 2024 win over the Mavericks, where they shot 21/43 from
three. The Mavericks though were just 3-6 when they made under 12 triples and
were 10-11 during the regular season when the opposition made more triples in a
game than the Celtics.
In the
Playoffs, the Celtics were 11-0 when they made over 13 triples and just 2-2
when they made under 13 triples.
In Game
2 loss in the opening-round versus the Heat (111-101) Apr. 21, 2024 (TNT), the
Celtics were just 12/32 on their triples, while the Heat made a single-game
franchise Playoff record 23 triples, going 23/43 on their threes.
In the
Game 2 setback in East Semis (118-94) May 9, 2024 (ESPN), the Celtics were just
8/35 from three (22.9 3-Pt.%) as the Cavs were 13/28 from three.
On the
Mavericks side of things when it comes to three-pointers, they have led the
2024 Playoffs with 4.6 made threes from the corners, with 34 percent of those
corner triples coming from Washington, who is the leader this postseason with
28 corner made threes.
How big
has Washington’s three-point shooting been so far this postseason, he is just
five short of the tying Bruce Bowen’s 33 made corner triples for the Spurs in
their championship season in 2007.
Right
behind Washington so far this postseason is Jones, Jr., who has 17 corner made
threes, tied for the second most.
The
Mavericks have also so far this postseason along with being a better rebounding
team overall since the February Trade Deadline, have become a much better
offensive rebounding team, retaining 31 percent of available second chances, which
is No. 4 in terms of such rate in the 2024 Playoffs, which is up from 25.7
percent during the regular season.
That is
the kind of impact Gafford and Lively II have had in the lane on both ends of
the hardwood this postseason.
Especially
in the past two rounds, Gafford and Lively II have had serious impact in the
lane whether it is getting on the offensive glass or protecting the rim in the
paint. The Mavericks two-headed monster in the paint have scored at a high rate
in the paint off the attention that Doncic has drawn on the perimeter or when
he gets in the paint on drives. That attention that Doncic and Irving have
drawn on the perimeter has opened up Jones, Jr., and Washington on the perimeter
for those corner triples and three-point attempts overall.
Doncic
has led the league the first three rounds of this postseason in assists on
threes (50) and assists on dunks (49), with those 49 assists tying what the
Warriors Draymond Green registered in 2019 for the most such assists in the play-by-play
era (1996-97).
Most
Assists On Dunks Year GP Assists Per Game
In Playoffs Since 1997 Luka Doncic (DAL) 2024 17
49 2.9
Draymond
Green (GS) 2019
22 49
2.2
Jrue
Holiday (BOS) W/MIL 2021 23 44 1.9
Trae
Young (ATL) 2021 16 42
2.6
Russell Westbrook (LAC) W/OKC 2016
18 40 2.2
Defensively,
opponents have shot just 51.1 percent in the paint so far this postseason
against the Mavericks, ranked No. 3 in the league. That number is at just 45.2
percent (38/84 FGs) at the rim when Gafford protecting the basket, while Lively
II has allowed just 49.3 percent shooting to opponents at the basket. Gafford rate
has led the league the first three rounds of this postseason, while Lively II’s
rate is third best.
That
rim protection has been aided by the stelar perimeter defense of not just
Doncic and Irving but by Jones, Jr., who has seen his minutes increased and sort
of has made Hardaway, Jr. and Exum expendable as this postseason has progressed
as the two has seen their minutes drop from 26.8 and 19.8 in the regular season
respectably for Hardaway, Jr. and Exum to 13.0 and 13.3 minutes so far this
postseason.
Then
there is the underlying factor of Irving playing against one of his former
teams in the Celtics, who he spent two turbulent seasons with (2017-19). On the
Celtics side, Porzingis will be going against one of his former teams in the Mavericks,
who he spent 2-plus seasons with (2019-22).
Then
there is the juicy part of his Finals of Irving playing against one of his
former teams in the Celtics, who he spent two turbulent seasons with (2017-19).
On the Celtics side, Porzingis will be going against one of his former teams in
the Mavericks, who he spent 2-plus seasons with (2019-22).
When
the Celtics acquired Irving from the Cavs in the summer of 2017, there was the
hope that joining forces with Tatum and Brown would lead the Celtics to ruling
the East.
It was
a tumultuous two seasons with Irving, who clashed more often with Tatum and
Brown and the other younger players on the Celtics and on top of that Irving
dealt with injuries and what once had a chance of being a great marriage where Irving
said before the start of the 2017-18 season that he had plans on re-signing
once his contract was up in the summer of 2019 never came to fruition.
Irving
in the summer of 2019 moved on to Brooklyn to join the Nets and teamed up with
good friend in fellow perennial All-Star Kevin Durant and eventually former
fellow Kia MVP James Harden in February 2020.
What
was also makings of a championship run lasted just one-plus season as injuries,
the COVID-19 Pandemic and unstable leadership on the sidelines with then head
coach Steve Nash and in the front office of Sean Marks kept the Nets from even
coming close to getting to the championship round.
The
closet the Nets came to getting to the title round came in 2021 when the toe of
Durant’s sneaker late in Game 7 of that season’s East Semis versus the Bucks was
ruled a two instead of a three forced OT and the Bucks won the game in the
extra five minutes and the series 4-3.
Over
the next two seasons after that, the Nets star three of Durant, Irving, and
Harden were dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers, Mavericks and Phoenix Suns.
When
Irving was dealt to the Mavericks, then Governor Mark Cuban spoke with Irving
of what was expected and how this was his best and his last chance to not only
make his mark in this league but to earn another major contract.
Irving
rose to the moment and has emerged as a leader for the Mavericks as the only
one with a championship ring, which he won in 2016 in helping the Cavs win
their first title in seven games over the Warriors.
For
Porzingis, the biggest question is will he play after missing the last 10 games
with the aforementioned right calf strain.
If he
can play and play effectively, that gives the Celtics another perimeter threat
along with major rim protection against Gafford and Lively II.
Porzingis’
return also provides the Celtics another rebounder who can take the pressure
off of Horford, who has played well in starting the 10 games Porzingis has been
out, with the Celtics going 9-1 without their All-Star big man. Horford is 37
and having to deal with Lively II and Gafford is not picnic.
This is
also an opportunity for Porzingis to show he can perform on the league’s
biggest stage. There was the hope he would do that alongside Doncic after being
acquired from the New York Knicks in 2019. Injuries and the inability to accept
being in the secondary role as the so-called Robin to Doncic as Batman just did
not allow that dynamic to flourish.
While having
not played until the start of this series means that Porzingis should be fresh,
he has been out a long period and how quickly he can get his wind back and have
a high level of effectiveness on both ends of the hardwood remains to be seen.
This championship
series will also be a legacy defining series for some of the key figures on
both sides.
For the
Celtics Tatum and Brown, they have helped the Celtics be a top tier squad in the
East. They have led them to 50-plus wins seasons a few times in the past seven
seasons as teammates. They have led them to the East Finals as mentioned six
times in the past eight seasons, including the pat three under three different
head coaches in now front office leader Brad Stevens, now Houston Rockets head
coach Ime Udoka, and now Joe Mazzulla.
Two late
springs back as mentioned, the Celtics lost in The Finals to the Warriors,
dropping Games 4, 5, and 6 of the series. In those final three games, Tatum and
Brown were outplayed by Finals MVP in Stephen Curry.
If the
Celtics are going to come out on top in this championship appearance, they will
need their All-Star duo to make their mark on both ends of the floor,
especially Tatum.
Then
there is Horford. Only Hall of Famers of the Jazz Karl Malone (193) and John
Stockton (182) have played in more NBA Playoff games without winning a title
than the 181 career Playoff games by Horford.
Horford
has done a lot individually in his NBA career, especially with the Celtics. The
only thing missing from Horford’s career resume is a title, which he hopes to
earn if the Celtics can defeat the Mavericks.
For the
Western Conference champs, their leader in Doncic is in The Finals for the
first time in his career and hopefully is the first of many moving forward.
For
Irving, it is his first Finals appearance since as mentioned earlier helping
the Cavs win it all in 2016.
While he
has been nothing but solid on and off the court with the Mavericks, winning a
title may not wash away all of his baggage he accumulated with the Celtics and
Nets, it will go a long way in how he is seen, especially by his critics.
For the
sixth straight late spring, we will have a new NBA champion. We will also have
a player or in the case of the Boston Celtics players who will win a title in
the prime state of their careers.
Having
a sense of urgency will not always win you a title. But having that urgency
along with a talented roster that is full of experience, continuity and having home
court gives you a serious leg up.
That is
what the Celtics are entering the 2024 NBA Finals with. But they are going
against an opponent in the Dallas Mavericks who have a stud of a player in Luka
Doncic. One of the best scorers and ball handlers in the game in Kyrie Irving
and a talented supporting cast who has shown this postseason they are not too
big for the moment.
Prediction:
Celtics in seven games.
Information,
statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 5/1/2024 7 p.m. “TNT NBA Tip-Off,”
presented by Carmax With Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, Shaquille
O’Neal, and Chris Haynes; 5/26/2024 12 a.m. ESPN’s “Sportscenter” With Kevin
Connors, and Zubin Mehenti; 5/29/2024 1 a.m. ESPN’s “Sportscenter” With Zubin
Mehenti and Stan Verrett; 5/30/2024 11 p.m. ESPN’s “Sportscenter With Scott Van
Pelt,” from Washington, D.C. and 5/31/2024 12 a.m. ESPN’s “Sportscenter” With
Nicole Briscoe and Michael Eaves; www.nba.com;
5/31/2024 www.nba.com story, “NBA Finals: What
To Expect In Celtics-Mavericks Series,” By Steve Aschburner and John Schuhmann;
6/1/2024 of Locked on Podcast Network’s “Locked On Mavericks: How Will The
Boston Celtics Guard Luka Doncic & More NBA Finals Questions,” With Nick
Angstadt; 6/2/2024 www.nba.com story, “Celtics-Mavericks:
Which Duo Will Perform Best In NBA Finals?” By Shaun Powell and John Schuhmann;
https://www.nba.com story, “Celtics-Mavericks:
24 Key Stats Ahead of 2024 NBA Finals,” By John Schuhmann; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dallas_Mavericks_seasons;
https://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/4065648/jayson-tatum;
https://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/3917376/jaylen-brown;
https://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/3995/jrue-holiday;
https://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/3213/al-horford;
https://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/39452274/nba/year/2022;
https://www.espn.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/dal/seasontype/2;
https://www.espn.com/nba/matchup/_/gameid/401585487;
https://www.espn.com/nba/matchup/_/gameid/401658225;
https://www.espn.com/nba/matchup/_/gameid/401655100;
https://www.espn.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/dal/dallas-mavericks; and
https://www.espn.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/bos/boston-celtics.
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