Before Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals tipped off, many national pundits predicted a Timberwolves victory, which would’ve brought the series back to Dallas for Game 6. But instead of returning home to prepare for another game against Minnesota, Doncic, Kyrie Irving and the rest will get a few days off before flying to Boston to begin the NBA Finals.
What a difference a year makes. The 2022–23 season ended when the Cavs failed to make the playoffs after tanking the final few games, likely in order to secure a higher position in the summer draft. Now, the team is set to make the franchise’s third visit to the Finals after taking out three higher-seeded teams in this postseason, including the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round. Here's hoping the Dallas Stars will soon join their American Airlines Center cohabitants soon and secure a berth in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals.
Naturally, there are many questions when it comes to the Mavericks in the NBA Finals. Let’s answer some of them.
When Do the NBA Finals Start?
Even before the Mavericks advanced by defeating the Timberwolves, the NBA announced the Finals would begin on Thursday, June 6. Games 1 and 2 will take place in Boston, because the Celtics had a better regular-season record than the Mavs. In fact, the Celtics were the best team in the league in the regular season by a pretty wide margin, racking up a stout 64-18 record. What Are the NBA Finals Betting Odds?
If for no other reason, the Celtics are favored by the Las Vegas bookmakers for their exemplary regular-season record. But on top of that, Boston has played well against Dallas recently, nabbing wins the previous four times the two teams have met. BetMGM posted betting odds right after the Mavs game ended Thursday night, showing Boston as a favorite, albeit not an overwhelming one at -225 to the Mavericks at +180.For a little context, the Mavericks were also an underdog to Minnesota before the series started, with odds set at +138 to Minnesota's -170. So, Dallas is a bigger underdog this time around, but not by that much. As we witnessed over the past week or so, the oddsmakers missed the mark by quite a bit.
As for Thursday’s Game 1, BetMGM has Boston listed as a -6.5 favorite. Predictably, the two biggest stars for each club, Jayson Tatum for Boston and Luka Doncic of the Mavericks, are listed as the first and second favorites to win the Finals MVP award, respectively.
What Do the Experts Think?
Similar to the oddsmakers, a large chunk of the national media had likely already picked the Celtics as their favorite to win the title even before the Mavericks clinched a spot in the final round. Boston really was that good all year long. Led by Tatum and fellow backcourt superstar Jaylen Brown, the Celtics dominated the Eastern Conference, which, to be fair, had a bit of a down season thanks to significant injuries to all-stars such as defending MVP Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Never ones to overlook a juicy story, the national sports media have also spent a good bit of time talking about how both teams have stars who will be facing their former team. The frequently injured Kristaps Porzingas joined the Celtics during the offseason after leaving the Washington Wizards, the club he was traded to by the Mavericks in 2022. He has missed a lot of playoff time due to yet another injury, but before that, he had a successful season that saw him shine in a system where he did not have to be the best or even second-best player on the team.
Kyrie Irving is facing the opposite scenario. He played for the Celtics from 2017 to 2019. Although he had flashes of excellence in Boston, he found controversy during his time there. It’s safe to say that Boston fans are eager to throw a few hearty boos his way on Thursday night.
Immediately following the Game 5 win on Thursday night, TNT analyst Charles Barkley predicted the Celtics would go on to win the title. But North Texas resident and chicken slinger Shaquille O’Neal disagreed, opining that Doncic is too hard to guard for the Celtics to win.
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton wrote that Doncic’s 3-point shooting will be a key factor for the Mavs’ chances.
“It's been a boom or bust postseason for Luka from long range,” he noted. “He hasn't shot between 37% and 45% in any game yet in the playoffs. When Doncic beat that mark, Dallas was 5-0 against Minnesota and Oklahoma City.”
Like O’Neal, Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey goes against the more popular view to predict a championship for the Mavericks, by writing, “[w]hen these games get tight (and they will) Luka and Kyrie will make just enough more plays than Tatum, Brown and White to win this series in seven.”
What Is the NBA Finals Schedule?
- Game 1: Dallas at Boston, Thursday, June 6 (7:30 p.m., ABC)
- Game 2: Dallas at Boston, Sunday, June 9 (7 p.m., ABC)
- Game 3: Boston at Dallas, Wednesday, June 12 (7:30 p.m, ABC)
- Game 4: Boston at Dallas, Friday, June 14 (7:30 p.m, ABC)
- Game 5: Dallas at Boston, Monday, June 17 (7:30 p.m, ABC) *
- Game 6: Boston at Dallas, Thursday, June 20 (7:30 p.m, ABC) *
- Game 7: Dallas at Boston, Sunday, June 23 (7:30 p.m, ABC) *
*if necessary
