The stage for the 2024 NBA Finals is set as the Dallas Mavericks will take on the Boston Celtics with Game 1 scheduled for Thursday.
The Mavericks enter the series as the underdogs despite getting through a brutal Western Conference slate featuring the L.A. Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves. On the flip side, the Celtics ran into no issues on the way to the Finals as they took down the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers in quick fashion.
Dallas’ run to the Finals is incredibly impressive because they were the eighth seed during the NBA trade deadline. However, their deadline deals for P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford have done wonders for the team as both front court players have played pivotal roles for the Mavericks.
Luka Doncic will be appearing in his first Finals and will be counted on to lead Dallas past a Boston team that is considered an overwhelming favorite. If Doncic is able to capture his first title, he would be the first since Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal to win the scoring title and a championship in the same season:
FINALS FACT: The Mavericks’ Luka Dončić can become the first player to win a scoring title and an NBA championship in the same season since the Lakers’ Shaquille O’Neal in 1999-00. pic.twitter.com/W3yh8SEo1l
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) June 3, 2024
Doncic wound up averaging 33.9 points during the 2023-24 season, a few more points than O’Neal did when he won the scoring title during the 1990-00 campaign when he averaged 29.7 points. While Doncic does most of his scoring on the perimeter, O’Neal was a monster in the painted area as other teams simply have no answer for him once he got post position.
There are a couple more parallels between Doncic and O’Neal’s Finals runs with the most prevalent one being their No. 2 options. Doncic has Kyrie Irving by his side, while O’Neal got to team up with Kobe Bryant for three titles. Irving previously mentioned how much he misses Bryant, thus making this Finals appearance mean even more to the star guard.
The Celtics will be the toughest matchup to date for the Mavericks, but the latter has a shot because it has the best player in the series.
Lakers’ Austin Reaves picks Mavericks over Celtics in NBA Finals
The Lakers have a vested interest in seeing the Celtics lose because of the franchises’ long-standing rivalry. Austin Reaves understands the importance of the rivalry and thus picked the Dallas Maverick to win over the Boston Celtics.
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