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The time has come for Game 1 of the NBA Finals where the Boston Celtics look to hang up the 18th banner in TD Garden that marks another championship for the historic franchise. However, the Dallas Mavericks are in the way as Thursday night will be crucial to see who gets the first victory. With that being said, it is time to talk about our Celtics bold predictions for Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
A look at how Boston got to this point
While the Celtics seem to be the heavy favorites to win the championship, there has been a huge population of people that believe the Mavericks can pull off the upset led by stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, who has a ton of history with the team. The pressure is on Boston as second-year head coach Joe Mazzulla tries to calm it down during NBA Finals media day according to The Athletic.
“Unless they change the light bulbs in the arenas, they won’t be any brighter than they were the last series,” Mazzulla said at NBA Finals media day Wednesday. “It’s just sticking to the details, the things that matter, the truth.”
The doubters of Boston have been prevalent as there have been questions of the playoff run up until the present where each team they faced were filled with injuries to key players. In the first round against the Miami Heat, Jimmy Butler missed the whole series with an MCL sprain. Against the Cleveland Cavaliers, there was several games where Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen were absent. Then in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton missed the last two games.
On the other hand, the Celtics can only face what is in front of them and still had an outstanding regular season. It also seemed inevitable that this iteration of Boston led by stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, among other key pieces would have another chance to win it all. Here are our Celtics bold predictions for Game 1 against the Mavericks.
A huge game by Jaylen Brown incoming for the Celtics
One of the major benefits of the Celtics this season has been how deep not only their starting lineup is, but how the whole team has been. Still, Jayson Tatum will have the weight of pressure on him as Dallas will look to suffocate him with their swarming defense as they have done a good job in at least maintaining top players like Oklahoma City Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Minnesota Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards.
Brown will be vital in the NBA Finals
In comes Jaylen Brown who also has some pressure though is looked at as being the No. 2 player on the team. Whether that label has a bad connotation or not, he is going to be crucial in this series and more specifically in Game 1 as he has something to prove as shown by his words ahead of the NBA Finals.
“You get to a point where you get scrutinized enough for a large part of your career, it becomes normal,” Brown said. “Then it just rolls off you. … It’s been my whole career in a sense. Just being booed when you were drafted to saying you were overpaid, saying you were overpaid again. It’s been that (way for) the whole journey for me.”
Despite the small sample size this season, in the two games against the Mavericks, Brown scored 34 and 25 points respectively while having efficient nights in other areas. With the game also being at home, he has averaged 23.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game at TD Garden this season, setting up Brown for a huge game Thursday for the Celtics.
“The coolest thing about where Jaylen has been is his surrender to anything external and the most important thing is his growth and development as a person and as a player,” Mazzulla said. “That’s all he cares about, is getting better. I think that’s been really cool to see.”
Jayson Tatum with a fine game, but not explosive against Mavericks
As touched on in the first bold prediction, the Mavericks are going to try everything in their power to at least maintain Tatum as they have done well in previous playoff series against their opponent's top players. Still, it could be a recipe for disaster as the Celtics can then thrive under Brown, Derrick White, a returning Kristaps Porzingis, and others.
However, they can't completely eliminate Tatum unless he has a bad game which could be possible as shown in the postseason, thought it has been few and far between, Even so, he can be more of a play maker in Game 1 for Boston as it would not be shocking to see the 26-year old finish with a high number of assists and rebounds, possibly close to a triple-double.
“I told myself that if I ever got the opportunity again to make it to the finals, never take it for granted,” Tatum said of being back in the NBA Finals via The Athletic. “Obviously, we’re here now. Thankful to be here. I’m excited to get ready to play and have fun tomorrow.”
Celtics have their hands full against Irving
One of the major storylines going into this game has to be Irving facing his former team which did not end with an immense amount of success. There is no doubt that fans of Boston have some disdain for the former Celtic, even going back to when he was seen stomping on the logo during his time with the Brooklyn Nets, but he still looks back fondly with his former teammates.
“Everyone’s gonna have a past,” Irving said per The Athletic. “Everyone’s gonna be judged for that. But I think putting your best foot forward and focusing on the future is the best place to be. All the stories and narratives are going to exist forever. I’m sure I’ll hear it until I retire.
“I’ve been there for these guys. They’ve been there for me,” Irving continued. “I’ve told them some very intimate things, some very vulnerable things, about who I am and what I’ve dealt with. And they’ve been able to really shower me with the support and love that’s needed — for any human being. … They really protect me and I protect them. That’s all I’ve ever asked for is from an organization and my teammates, is for them to protect me the same way I protect them, because I go out of my way to speak good things about people, to be in the right place for them, and to understand that human emotions get the best of you, but how you respond is how you’re going to be remembered.”
Don't expect a Celtics blow out in Game 1
Looking at the game, the dynamic duo of Doncic and Irving, especially the latter, are going to cause some trouble in the series and especially in Game 1. Celtics fans expecting Irving to struggle will be dealt with a heavy force of reality come Thursday night as the team needs to be prepared for the worst, even more importantly if the game is close.
