NBA Finals Articles - Page 22

BOSTON, MA — For the most part, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum is still seen as a member of the younger generation of NBA players. Despite being a five-time All-Star with seven regular seasons under his belt, Tatum hasn’t even turned 27. Yet, his postseason experience has helped him shed his “rookie” status. The St. […]

A few months back, Jrue Holiday was already willing to call Wisconsin his home and play for the Milwaukee Bucks for the rest of his career. He had to be traded and found his way to the Boston Celtics. The fit he had with guys like Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Jaylen Brown allowed him […]

BOSTON, MA — Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are no strangers to criticism. Although the former is leading his team in points, rebounds, and assists this postseason and the latter was the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals MVP, the discourse surrounding the dynamic duo is rarely that complimentary. Brown, who’s now a three-time […]

The Dallas Mavericks have one championship to their name. That moment came in 2011, when Dirk Nowitzki led this organization to a title over the Miami Heat. A chance for a second title is now on the line for the Mavericks. Only this time, Luka Doncic is leading the way for the Mavs in the […]

NBA coaches have fielded questions from the media, from the mundane to the absurd, especially under the bright lights of the NBA Finals. For one moment in the pre-Game 1 media availability, Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla mustered to take a page out of Gregg Popovich’s book when responding to a question on his […]

When the 2024 NBA Finals begin on Thursday, there will be no love lost between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks. These two organizations have a chance to win a championship, and there are various storylines that tie into what could become a historic matchup. Perhaps the greatest headline revolves around Kyrie Irving going […]

Kyrie Irving’s leadership for the Dallas Mavericks has been a frequently discussed topic during the 2023-24 season. With Irving set for another NBA Finals appearance, Luka Doncic is trusting in Kyrie’s leadership given his Finals experience. “I mean, his leadership is amazing,” Doncic said on Wednesday. “The way he connects us. I think me and […]

The Boston Celtics have reached the NBA Finals for the second time in the past three seasons. This year, the Celtics were powered by major offseason acquisitions in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. They received good news on the injury front as Porzingis is expected to be ready for Game 1. As the Celtics come […]

With the start of the 2024 NBA Finals drawing near, so is Kristaps Porzingis’ return to the court for the Boston Celtics from his calf injury. Porzingis, who has not played since April 29, is on track to play in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, barring an […]

Before truly finding himself as a member of the Boston Celtics, Kristaps Porzingis thought he had found a home alongside of Luka Doncic with the Dallas Mavericks. However, things did not work out for Porzingis in Dallas, and in the lead up to meeting Porzingis and the Celtics in the NBA Finals, Doncic and head […]

LeBron James recently admitted that he is “mad” that he is not teammates with Kyrie Irving anymore. Irving was asked about LeBron’s comments on Wednesday during NBA Finals Media Day, quote via Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. “I mean, I have a great reaction. It’s appreciated,” Irving said. “A lot of gratitude there as well. Obviously, […]

Fans have seen a lot of the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, as the team has 22 previous appearances in the NBA’s championship series. The team made it to the final stage of the postseason as recently as 2022. On the other hand, the Celtics’ Finals opponent, the Dallas Mavericks, have only made the […]

Jaylen Brown is in his eighth NBA season, and this will be his second trip to the NBA Finals. His first appearance was a disappointing one, but Brown’s improvement has been immense over the past couple of seasons. As a three-time All Star and one-time second-team All-NBA selection, Brown is on the perfect track to […]

The 2024 NBA Finals was already expected to draw plenty of attention. That attention will only increase with Kyrie Irving set to play against his former team as the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics prepare to square off. It projects to be a thrilling series between two franchises that are hungry for a championship. So […]

The Dallas Mavericks toppled three of the top four seeds in the Western Conference en route to the 2024 NBA Finals. Luka Doncic has been the best player in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, and that must continue being the case if they want to capture their first crown since 2011. Kyrie Irving has been phenomenal […]

Ever since the start of his NBA career, Luka Doncic has been sensational in the NBA Playoffs. Many budding stars tend to crumble initially before they begin to find their rhythm on the biggest stage. For Doncic, that was not the case as winning has been the ultimate priority for him. The 2024 postseason has […]

The Boston Celtics have passed all of their tests so far in the 2023-24 campaign with flying colors to this point, setting the stage for a battle against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals. Everything the Celtics have accomplished to this point is great, but unless the season ends with them hoisting the […]

We’re only one day away from the start of the 2024 NBA Finals, a highly-anticipated showdown between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks. In celebration of this, the 25th NBA Finals series since the turn of the century, I took it upon myself to take a look at the previous twenty-four and develop a […]

The 2024 NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics is set to get underway on Thursday, and former Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas has some surprising love for Dallas on the ‘Bully Ball’ podcast: Rachel Nichols: “You guys are both putting Kyrie [Irving] ahead of Jayson Tatum?” Boogie: “I won’t go that far.” IT: […]

DALLAS — Former NBA player Chandler Parsons recently claimed that Luka Doncic did not like playing with Kristaps Porzingis while they were on the Dallas Mavericks together. Doncic denied that narrative and recently fired back. “They do not like [Kristaps] Porzingis in Dallas,” Parsons said on FanDuel’s Run It Back, via ClutchPoints. “Luka [Doncic] did […]

When the 2023-24 NBA season began, everyone expected the Boston Celtics to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals after adding Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. What many did not expect was for the Dallas Mavericks to evolve into one of the most solidified teams in the league. The Mavs made excellent moves to […]

DALLAS — Luka Doncic is preparing for his first ever NBA Finals appearance. Doncic entered the league when Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki was nearing the end of his career. Nowitzki helped Doncic during their brief time playing together, and Luka addressed Dirk’s impact on him while speaking to reporters on Tuesday. “I remember my […]

The Boston Celtics are in the NBA Finals once again, but that’s not enough. Even center Kristaps Porzingis, who’s never been to the Finals, understands this. During a media session on Tuesday afternoon, Porzingis gave his thoughts about the excitement of the Finals and what Boston’s next steps are, via Celtics in-house writer Taylor Snow. […]

The time has come to crown a new champion in the NBA. Although it seemed like the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers were the only two teams that could make it to the NBA Finals just several years ago, the NBA is preparing to enshrine a different champion for the sixth consecutive season, the […]

It’s fitting that Kyrie Irving’s redemption arc led him back to TD Garden, where the Dallas Mavericks guard will face off with his former team in his first NBA Finals appearance since 2016. The eight-time All-Star’s Celtics tenure ended in ugly fashion, and the animosity between him and the Boston fanbase was well-documented throughout his […]

DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks and general manager Nico Harrison are in agreement on a multi-year contract extension. Harrison, who has been the Mavs GM since 2021, has helped build a championship contending team. The Mavericks drafted Dereck Lively II out of Duke in 2023 and the center played a pivotal role in the team’s […]

The NBA Finals tips off in a few days, and it’ll be a treat for the Durham community. Why? Because several former Duke basketball players will be seeing action on the biggest stage. One of them is rookie standout Dereck Lively II, who’s played a big role for the Dallas Mavericks throughout the entire season. […]

Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks are taking on the favored Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, which get underway on Thursday night. As we ramp up to Game 1, NBA commentator and former sharpshooter Jamal Crawford had a bold prediction for the Mavericks’ star guard, while appearing on the ‘Bully Ball’ podcast. “He’s definitely […]

The Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks have taken different paths to the 2024 NBA Finals, but they arrived there all the same. The C’s, who held the best overall record in the league, have been heavily favored in every one of their playoff series so far. They’ve done a solid job at proving Vegas […]

Behind superstar Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks have reached the NBA Finals for only the third time in franchise history. Doncic has led the Mavericks as a No. 5 seed, beating three higher-seeded teams in the process without homecourt advantage. On a recent appearance on the Bully Ball Podcast hosted by Rachel Nichols and DeMarcus […]

Ahead of the NBA finals, many Boston Celtics fans hope that the team will be at full strength. The Celtics may have breezed through the playoffs, but they’re still missing the services of Kristaps Porzingis. A 7-foot-2 big man with a gift for scoring, “The Unicorn,” as they call him, brings a lot to the […]

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving has faced the Boston Celtics in the playoffs before since he unceremoniously left the team in free agency five years ago. He beat them in five games as a member of the Brooklyn Nets in 2021 and was then swept by the Celtics—once again with the Nets—the following year. Now, […]

There are clear-cut number one and two options in the NBA Finals. Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic are both battling it out to be the best player on the court. On the other hand, Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown get to duke it out to see who the best secondary star is. Obviously, it looks […]

Winning the NBA Finals MVP is simply gravy for anyone’s career. After all, doing so has usually meant that one’s team has emerged victorious, achieving the pinnacle of team success. And for members of the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics organizations, it’s hard to envision anyone caring too much about who lifts the Finals MVP […]

Since 1947, the NBA Finals has been in existence to determine which team stands on top of the professional basketball mountain. Of course, 77 years ago, there were only 11 teams in the league, with three of the best teams per division (now known as conferences) duking it out in the postseason. At the conclusion […]

For 110 games between 2019 and 2022, Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis shared the floor as teammates on the Dallas Mavericks. It was a tandem that was supposed to lead the Mavericks back to the NBA Finals, where another notable European, German superstar Dirk Nowitzki, once had the defining moment of his career. But this […]

DALLAS — Kyrie Irving has NBA Finals experience. He understands what it requires to win a championship. However, are their any major differences for Irving from a personal standpoint in this year’s NBA Finals compared to his other NBA Finals? “I’m healthy, man,” Irving said on Monday while speaking to reporters. “I don’t have two […]

DALLAS — Kyrie Irving is looked upon as a leader for the Dallas Mavericks. But even well-respected leaders have mentors. For Irving, the late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was one of his mentors. Kyrie was asked about Bryant’s impact on him on Monday with the 2024 NBA Finals right around the corner. “I […]

The NBA Finals are almost here and we’ll see a battle of David vs. Goliath when the Dallas Mavericks take on the Boston Celtics for the Larry O’Brien Trophy. This Finals matchup is filled with close-ties and storylines with players like Kyrie Irving and Kristaps Porzingis going up against their former teams. Without a doubt, […]