The long-awaited NBA Finals are finally upon us, and we are left with two teams whose players have drama-filled histories.
After his departure from Cleveland, Kyrie Irving would land in Boston in 2017 to join the rising young stars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Irving seemed to be content with the Celtics, even going as far as stating how he planned to re-sign with the organization, but things soured and once his contract was over, he left the franchise in 2018.
Since his exit, Irving has been public enemy number one in Boston.
Meanwhile in Dallas, Kristaps Porzingis was a member of the Mavericks from 2019 to 2022. He was brought in to build the supporting unit around Luka Doncic, but they were unable to make it past the 1st round of the playoffs.
After Porzingis left Dallas, he said on a podcast with J.J. Reddick that he didn’t play with full effort during the 2021 playoffs because he wasn’t satisfied with his utilization.
With members of both teams having riddled pasts, it will be interesting to see how this series plays out.
Will Irving help Dallas become the first 5th seed to win an NBA championship or will Porzingis boost Boston to win their 18th championship?
Here is my prediction for the 2024 NBA Finals:
(1) Boston Celtics vs (5) Dallas Mavericks
One of the biggest factors of this series is the return of Kristaps Porzingis. Since April 29, Porzingis has been out with a calf injury, but he is expected to play game one of the NBA Finals.
In the four playoff games he appeared in, Porzingis averaged 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks.
Though Porzingis has been a great contributor for Boston this season, his comeback could be an advantage for Dallas. Dropping a player who hasn’t played in over a month in an NBA Finals is very risky, especially against a team that looks to attack bigs.
In the previous series, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving had a ton a success targeting Rudy Gobert in pick and roll situations. Having this much success against the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year leads me to the belief that Dallas will do similar against a returning Porzingis and an aging Al Horford.
Kristaps Porzingis’ return could also pose chemistry issues for Boston. The Celtics are 9-1 without Porzingis in this year’s playoffs and as a team currently hitting on all cylinders, adding a player back to the rotation could throw off the team’s momentum.
However, one advantage the Celtics do have on their side is their ability to switch on defense. Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum are all versatile defenders and I expect Boston to throw them at the talented Dallas backcourt to slow them down.
Boston should also take note from the Mavericks and Timberwolves Western Conference Finals series, as star player Anthony Edwards was noticeably tired during 4th quarters after being Kyrie Irving’s primary defender.
It will be a tough ask, but if Boston can neutralize the threat of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, they will have success defensively in this series.
The star players in this series are plentiful, but the supporting cast of both teams could be the determining factor of who leaves with the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Boston’s supporting cast has been great all year, but they could be outplayed by Dallas.
The Mavericks have two centers in Derrick Lively and Daniel Gafford that offer rim protection, rebounding, and finishing ability. Lively and Gafford have helped Dallas lead the NBA postseason in alley oops with 54 total, while the next closes team was Denver with 9.
This center duo also played a huge role in Dallas five-game series victory over the Timberwolves. Lively and Gafford combined for 21 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 blocks per game.
In addition, P.J. Washington and Derrick Jones Jr. can supply Dallas with three-point shooting and the ability to defend Boston’s star duo of Brown and Tatum.
Dallas’ supporting players along with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving leads me to the belief that they will pose a matchup that Boston hasn’t faced before. The Celtics are a very deep team, but they don’t seem equipped for the challenge that the Mavericks offer.
Final Prediction: Dallas over Boston in 6
NBA Finals MVP: Luka Doncic
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