The Dallas Mavericks will play the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. We're here to share our NBA Finals odds series and make a Kyrie Irving NBA Finals points-per-game prediction and pick.

Irving is finally back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2016 after helping lead the Mavs to the final stage. Ultimately, this will be a series with several narratives. One narrative involves Irving attempting to win his second Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. Also, another involves Irving facing the Celtics, the team he spent 2019 with.

Irving started the postseason strong. Then, there were a few blips on the radar. But Irving has had a great postseason in general. Now, he is looking to keep it up. Irving won his only Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy in 2016 with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Here are the NBA Finals odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NBA Finals Odds: Kyrie Irving Points Per Game Odds

Over: 23.5 points (-113)

Under: 23.5 points (-113)

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Why Kyrie Irving Will Hit the Over

Look at some of the amazing games Irving has had in these playoffs. First, he started hot, with 31 points in Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. Irving also exploded for 40 points in Game 4 of that same series. Next, he helped the Mavs close out the Clippers in Game 6 with 30 points.

The series against the Oklahoma City Thunder did not go as smoothly. Yet, he did enough to help power the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals for a showdown with the Minnesota Timberwolves. That is where Irving turned it up a notch. Amazingly, he really came alive at times during the Conference Finals and made some great things happen.

Irving started the series hot with 30 points in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Later, he had 33 points in Game 3 to help put the Wolves on the edge of elimination. After he struggled in Game 4, he knew he had to step it up even more. Irving tacked on 36 points in Game 5 to help seal Minnesota's fate and give the Mavericks their ticket to their first NBA Finals appearance since they won their championship in 2011.

Irving averaged 26.5 points per game against the Clippers in the first round. Then, he averaged only 15.6 points per game against the Thunder. But he bounced back properly against the Wolves, averaging 27 points per game.

Irving has shown that he is capable of completely taking over a game. Amazingly, the Mavs are 5-1 in the postseason when he scores at least 40 points. The Mavericks are also 3-1 when he scores under 20 points. Overall, this is a very successful team. But they are almost guaranteed to win when he scores 30 points.

The Celtics likely will have several choices on who guards Irving. Significantly, Jrue Holiday, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White can all take turns guarding him. Irving will do everything in his power to help the Mavs and score as many points as possible to get his team the victory.

Irving will hit the over because he has demonstrated an ability to show up in high-pressure situations. Then, he will maneuver his way past this difficult Boston defense.

Why Kyrie Irving Will Hit the Under

But this defense is challenging to overcome. Substantially, they can shut down a big-time player. When they played the Cavaliers, they allowed Donovan Mitchell to thrive. But the Celtics shut everyone else down. Consider the fact that Luka Doncic may go off. Yet, Boston might focus more on shutting Irving down if they believe he is the bigger threat.

Irving had some bad games during the playoffs. Significantly, his first bad game came in Game 5 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. But the Mavs were able to win even when he struggled. Then, he managed just nine points against the Thunder in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals. Irving had another bad game when he managed just nine points in Game 4, which was a game where the Mavs blew a large lead and could not claim the victory. Consequently, it happened again in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, and it was a major reason why the Mavs could not sweep the Wolves.

Irving will hit the under because he is simply too inconsistent to score buckets. Moreover, the Mavericks have several options to fill the hole behind Doncic.

Final Kyrie Irving Points Per Game Prediction

Irving is the second-best player on this team. Yet, he has also shown in the past that he could take over a game. Consider the fact that Irving has hit 30 points on six different occasions in the NBA Playoffs. Likewise, he has hit 35 or more points on two separate occasions. Irving may have a bad game every now and then. Regardless, he has averaged more than 23 points in two of the three series he has played. Irving is feeling more motivation than ever before. Thus, expect him to hit the over in this series, with 25 points being the likely finish.

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Final Kyrie Irving Points Per Game Prediction: Over: 23.5 points (-113)