The Boston Celtics are considered to be the favorite over the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals. Shaquille O'Neal is going in a different direction, however. Shaq explained why he believes the Mavs can upset the Celtics while speaking on TNT's Inside the NBA.
“The Celtics do not have three or four guys that can guard Luka,” Shaq said. “I like Dallas in this series. I like the way they're playing… This is a little special for Kyrie (Irving). Maybe a little special for (Kristaps) Porzingis… Because I know he played in Dallas. I think I like Dallas in this series.”
Shaq likes the way the Mavericks are playing. It seems that his primary reason for selecting the Mavs over the Celtics is the impact of Luka Doncic, though.
“This is like my first time seeing him (Doncic) a lot,” Shaq added. “Big body, bigger than I thought he was. Stronger than I thought he was. Once he gets you on the side, sort of like a big man, he does whatever he wants. Plays with poise and he can't be shook. The fact that he's been a professional player since he was 13 years old, nothing shakes him. I don't see anybody on Boston dealing with that.
“Maybe (Jayson) Tatum but if I'm Boston I don't want to get Tatum or (Jaylen) Brown into foul trouble. I think the other guys too, you know Jrue Holiday is too little in my opinion.”
Shaq believes in Luka Doncic, Mavericks
The majority of analysts are selecting the Celtics in the series. After all, Boston was the best team in the NBA during the regular season and they have continued to perform well in the NBA playoffs.
The Mavs, meanwhile, were the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference. They have spent the majority of the postseason as an underdog, upsetting the odds along the way.
In all reality, the Mavs have been overlooked. They emerged as a true contender after acquiring PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford ahead of the trade deadline. Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic both enjoyed tremendous regular season performances to lead the team as well.
Irving discussed the topic following Dallas' Game 3 victory over the Timberwolves.
“If you look at our regular season, I don't think it tells the whole truth of who we are, or who we were,” Irving said. “I felt like the second-half of the season, everybody got to see what we were made of. But if you look at the beginning of the season, we were on pace for having a great season still. I think we would have finished one through three. That's playing hypotheticals, if I don't get injured or if Luka (Doncic) is not laboring a little bit… I take all that into account when I look at who we are now.
“We've grown over the past few months. This has been a journey for us. I like to think that being in fifth took some pressure off of us coming into this postseason. Everybody was looking at the top three seeds… The guys in the locker room have always had the utmost confidence in one another.”
The Mavs don't care what anyone else has to say. They believe in their ability and that's all that matters. Dallas is used to playing the role of the underdog at this point, but they expect to win nonetheless.
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