The Attiq 2024 NBA Finals Preview
The 2024 NBA Finals get underway on Thursday night, with the Boston Celtics playing host to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the best-of-seven championship series. The Celtics, as the top seed in the Eastern Conference side of the postseason bracket, were expected to be in this position. The Mavericks, the No. 5 seed in the West’s side of the bracket, are more of a surprise to still be alive.
The Road: Boston Celtics
The Celtics ran away with the top seed in the Eastern Conference this past season, finishing with a record of 64-18 and ending up 14 games ahead of the second-place New York Knicks in the East standings. Boston was also seven games better than any team in the Western Conference this year.
And Boston hasn’t been tested much so far in this year’s playoffs. The Celtics knocked out the Miami Heat in five games in the first round, and then needed just five games again to get past the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round. Boston then closed out the Eastern Finals even quicker, sweeping the Indiana Pacers with a 105-102 victory in Game 4 of that series last Monday night.
That has the Celtics 12-2 so far in the playoffs as they get set to tip off in the NBA Finals this week.
The Road: Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks ended up seven games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggets in fifth place in the Western Conference standings this past season, with a record of 50-32. That means Dallas had at least as many wins as everyone in the Eastern Conference except the Celtics.
Dallas lost its playoff opener, falling 109-97 to the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of its first-round series. The Mavericks then bounced back to win that series in six games, then took care of business against the top-seeded Thunder in six games as well in the second round. Dallas then won the first three games of the Western Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves, dropped Game 4, and closed out the series with a 124-103 victory on the road in Game 5 to punch its ticket to the Finals.
That has the Mavericks at 12-5 so far in the postseason, and they’ll be the underdog to win the title.
Regular-Season Matchups
Boston and Dallas met twice during the regular season, with the Celtics coming out on top in both of those matchups. In their first meeting on January 22 Jayson Tatum poured in 39 points and Jaylen Brown added 34 points as the Celtics picked up a 119-110 road victory. Jrue Holliday added 17 points for Boston in that win, with Luka Doncic leading the way for the Mavericks with 33 points in the losing cause. Kyrie Irving picked up 23 points for Dallas, and Josh Green was good for 14 points.
The rematch on March 1 then saw the Celtics roll to a 138-110 home victory behind 32 points from Tatum and 25 points from Brown. Kristaps Porzingis tossed in 24 points on the night for Boston. Doncic scored 37 points for Dallas, Irving had 19 points, and P.J. Washington added 17 points.
NBA Finals Schedule
All games of the NBA Finals will be broadcast on ABC. Here’s a look at the complete schedule:
Game 1 – Mavericks at Celtics – Thursday, June 6 @ 8:30pm ET
Game 2 – Mavericks at Celtics – Sunday, June 9 @ 8:00pm ET
Game 3 – Celtics at Mavericks – Wednesday, June 12 @ 8:30pm ET
Game 4 – Celtics at Mavericks – Friday, June 14 @ 8:30pm ET
Game 5 – Mavericks at Celtics – Monday, June 17 @ 8:30pm ET
Game 6 – Celtics at Mavericks – Thursday, June 20 @ 8:30pm ET
Game 7 – Mavericks at Celtics – Sunday, June 23 @ 8:00pm ET
With zero championships between his MLB, NHL, and NFL teams over the last 30 years, Dave keeps one foot in the past while shaking his fist at the present. Having provided content to all manner of sports websites over a 20-year career in the industry, Dave brings to Attiq an eye for all things editorial and a disdain for all things New York Yankees. Click here for Dave's posts.
