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The vitriol hurled against the Boston Celtics is usually the same. It is either that they have been knocking for too long in the NBA Finals or that they might never win it because of how they collapse time and again in the postseason. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been with the squad since those narratives were born. Now, they have to hear those same sentiments but on a bigger and more focused scale as they face the Dallas Mavericks. Even Shaquille O'Neal doubled down on this ongoing pursuit for their 18th banner.
Will they ever win the NBA Finals again?
There are a ton of storylines in this Celtics vs. Mavericks NBA Finals. One could focus on the Celtics' hunt for a new Larry O'Brien trophy as a tribute to Bill Russell and Bill Walton. The return of Kyrie Irving to the garden could also be another good thing to monitor. But, Shaquille O'Neal wants Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum to focus at the task at hand. He wants them to finally win it all to dispel any talks about their tendencies in the postseason, via NBA TV.
“The most significant storyline that I’m focusing on is can the Boston Celtics get it done. With Luka and Kyrie, a lot of people were skeptical. It's not going to work, it has worked. They're here. But, for Boston, they’ve failed so many times. They have always had successful regular seasons… If they can’t get it done after this, I don’t know if they ever can,” the former Most Valuable Player and Celtics center declared.
Shaquille O'Neal does make a great point here. The duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown has led the Celtics to six Eastern Conference Finals runs with two of them even netting an NBA Finals appearance. There is a lot of things that they had to go through so that this opportunity comes around again. The loss of Marcus Smart, Ime Udoka, and Robert Williams were just some to name a few. So, these shakeups and new additions could just be what they need to win four games against the Mavericks and hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy.
Celtics' edge to fulfill Shaq's challenge
The Celtics do have an advantage in a lot of categories against the Mavericks. They have a 123.2 offensive rating throughout the regular season which ranks first in the league. This squad also knows how to outgun their opponents because they rack in a big average of 120.6 points a night. All of this proves that they can hang with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving when it comes to putting up buckets as well as executing well.
The other edge that they have is in limiting their opponents. Joe Mazzulla's defensive prowess has allowed the Celtics to have a 111.6 defensive rating which is third in all of the association. Add the fact that they only allow 109.2 points on any given game and Celtics fans can salivate at how they suffocate the Mavericks' playmakers.
Obviously, there are a lot of wildcards that can shift the energy of this NBA Finals series. But, the Celtics just need to play their game just like they did in the past 90 or so games. If they do that, a new banner is coming to the city that Red Auerbach and Bill Russell built.
