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The Dallas Mavericks will face the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals. We're here to share our NBA Finals odds series, make an NBA Finals series prediction, and pick while discussing the showdown.
The Mavericks overcame the Los Angeles Clippers in six games in the first round of the playoffs to start their journey. Then, they took down the Oklahoma City Thunder in six games. The Mavs finished their quest for the finals by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games to seal their ticket.
The Celtics defeated the Miami Heat in five games in the first round. Next, they routed the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Boston swept the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals to seal their spot in the NBA Finals.
The Mavericks will be making their second appearance in the NBA Finals and first since 2011, when they won their only championship. Meanwhile, the Celtics will make their 23rd appearance in the NBA Finals. The Celtics are 17-5 in the NBA Finals, including a series loss to the Golden State Warriors two seasons ago.
The Celtics swept the season series against the Mavericks. Significantly, they destroyed the Mavs 138-110 at home and beat them 119-110 in Dallas. The Celtics have won four in a row, and gone 6-4 over the past 10 games against the Mavericks.
Here are the NBA Finals odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Finals Series Odds: Mavericks-Celtics
Boston Celtics: -225
Dallas Mavericks: +188
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Why The Mavericks Could Win The Series
The Mavericks are heavy underdogs, but no one should count them out. Their great coaching staff has done everything to get the best out of their players. Now, Jason Kidd hopes to lead the Mavericks to their second championship as their head coach after leading them to their first title as the starting point guard.
There are many similarities to that series. First, Kidd overcame a heavily favored Miami Heat team, teaming up with Dirk Nowitzki to overcome a team that included LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. Now, he will coach up stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving as they try and overcome a heavily favored Celtics team that includes Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday.
Doncic has been excellent in these playoffs, averaging 28.8 points per game. Furthermore, he averaged 32.4 points per game in the Western Conference Finals. Irving has also been good in the playoffs, averaging 22.8 points per game. Likewise, he turned it up a notch in the Western Conference Finals by averaging 27 points per game.
But PJ Washington is a player to keep an eye on. Ultimately, he has averaged 13.6 points per game in the postseason but has shown he was capable of putting up 25-30 points. Derrick Jones Jr. has been solid, averaging 9.8 points per game. Also, Daniel Gafford has contributed to the effort, averaging 9.2 points per game.
The Mavericks will cover the spread if Doncic and Irving can continue to play at a high level on offense and supporting players contribute with solid shots. Then, the defense must close out and force the Celtics to take bad shots.
Why The Celtics Could Win The Series
While the Mavericks feel like heavy underdogs, the Celtics feel like they are attempting to finish their story. Unfortunately, they fell apart two seasons ago when they ran into the Warriors. The Celtics would like to remedy that defeat and take the lead for most championships in the NBA.
Tatum has been great in the playoffs, averaging 26 points per game. Yet, he likely needs to do more this time around than he did two years ago when he averaged 21.5 points, seven assists, and 6.8 assists per game in six games. Brown has averaged 25 points per game in the playoffs and 29.75 points per game in the Eastern Conference Finals. Additionally, he would like to improve on his stats from two seasons ago, when he averaged 23.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game in the NBA Finals.
Kristaps Porzingis wants revenge on his former team and is back after missing the last two rounds. Ultimately, his calf injury will be something to watch. Holiday was the other addition in the offseason, as the Celtics aimed to fix any issues they had. Meanwhile, Derrick White will hope to show he is ready to bounce back.
The Celtics will win this series if Tatum and Brown can take their game to the next level while Porzingis and Holiday produce. Then, they need to hit their shots from beyond the arc.
Final Mavericks-Celtics NBA Finals Series Prediction & Pick
The Mavericks are the heavy underdogs. However, when looking at this series, you have to consider the player matchups and what the elite players will do. In this case, there are four elite players: Doncic, Irving, Tatum, and Brown. Porzingis can certainly make a difference. Yet, there are questions as to how his calf will hold up. While Porzingis is saying all the right things, his return may hinder the team if he is not at 100 percent. The Mavericks already overcame the two best teams in the Western Conference, dispatching the Thunder in six games and the Wolves in five games. It's certainly not a stretch to see them do it again, toppling the best team in the Eastern Conference to win their second title.
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Final Mavericks-Celtics NBA Finals Series Prediction & Pick: Dallas Mavericks: +188
