Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum recently made an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Tatum, who led the Celtics to an NBA championship over the Dallas Mavericks during the 2023-24 season, discussed a number of topics on the show. Tatum made multiple bold predictions, including that he will win the MVP in 2024-25. The Celtics star also claimed that Boston and Dallas will go head-to-head in the NBA Finals once again.
Fallon asked Tatum which teams he believes will play in the 2024-25 NBA Finals. Tatum, unsurprisingly, said the Celtics will represent the Eastern Conference. He then took some time to think about his Western Conference pick before ultimately giving the answer.
“It's going to be a rematch, we're going to play Dallas again,” Tatum said.
“Woah! Woah,” Fallon responded.
The Celtics were the best team in the NBA during the 2023-24 regular season. Boston cruised through the playoffs en route to their championship.
The Mavs, meanwhile, entered the playoffs as a No. 5 seed. However, Dallas has played at a much more consistent level following the February trade deadline that saw them acquire PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford. As a result, teams knew the Mavs could be dangerous in the postseason.
Sure enough, Dallas reached the NBA Finals before getting defeated in five games by Boston. Nevertheless, it was an encouraging season for the Mavs. The future is bright and they upgraded their roster this past offseason. The Mavericks made a number of moves, including the acquisition of Klay Thompson.
So is Jayson Tatum's bold prediction realistic?
Will we see a Mavericks-Celtics NBA Finals rematch?
In all reality, it may be even more realistic than last season. The Mavericks have an opportunity to be even better in 2024-25.
Of course, Dallas upset the odds and reached the NBA Finals in 2023-24. So the fact that it may be even more realistic for the upcoming campaign is promising to say the least.
As for the Celtics, they are set to return a fairly similar roster. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will lead the way once again. Boston also features no shortage of depth and they will likely be the favorites to win the Eastern Conference.
Perhaps Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving can lead the Mavs to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. That would set them up for continued postseason success.
However, the West features plenty of talented teams. The Mavs' journey to the NBA Finals will feature obstacles to say the least. Teams will also be more prepared for Dallas given their success in 2023-24. Any team that plays in the Finals tends to receive more attention.
To answer the aforementioned question, the chances of a Mavericks-Celtics NBA Finals rematch are indeed quite realistic. The primary difference is that Dallas will be in a better position to upset the reigning champions this season. They addressed areas of need during the offseason and project to match up even better with the top teams in the NBA.
Of course, any team with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on the roster is going to at least have an opportunity to make some noise.
Do you think the Mavericks and Celtics will meet once again in the NBA Finals?
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