10 Things Should Know About the 2024 NBA Finals: Mavericks v. Celtics

BOSTON – The last mile-marker in the journey to crown a new NBA champion begins tonight when the Boston Celtics host the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Both teams bring lots of drama, intrigue, and a slew of storylines that will keep the die-hard fans as well as the casuals engaged.

Here are 10 things you need to know about the Finals:

1. VERY DIFFERENT JOURNEYS
The Boston Celtics had the best regular season record, and doubled down on that success by posting the best record in the playoffs. However, the teams they knocked out to get here – Miami, Cleveland and Indiana – were not among the top-four teams in the East. Dallas, a fifth-seed in the West, advanced past a title contender (Los Angeles Clippers) in the first round. From there, they proceeded to knock off the top-two seeds (Oklahoma City and Minnesota) and are a more battled-tested squad.

2. NO LOVE (IN BOSTON) FOR KYRIE IRVING
It’s no secret Boston Celtics fans have a love-hate relationship (as in, they love to hate) with former Celtic Kyrie Irving. His decision to spurn the franchise after indicating he would return if they “would have me,” still irks many. However, since his departure Irving has met defeat often, which includes getting swept the last time he faced Boston in the playoffs.

3. WHO WINS THE LEGACY GAME?
Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Dallas’ Luka Doncic have achieved just about every individual accolade, but have fallen short of what both have said often is the pinnacle of success for them – an NBA title. One of them will check that off their bucket list in a couple of weeks. And in doing so, would cement their place among the NBA greats by achieving the ultimate symbol of success – an NBA championship.

4. HOME, (NOT SO) SWEET HOME
Winning on the road has been a major factor in both Boston and Dallas’ postseason success. Since the NBA adopted a best-of-seven format for the first round of the playoffs 22 years ago, Boston (6-2 at home, 6-0 on the road) and Dallas (5-3, 7-2) only the fifth and sixth teams, respectively, to have a better playoff record on the road than they do at home.

5. HISTORICAL COACHING DUEL
For the second time in NBA history, the NBA Finals will feature two Black head coaches in Boston’s Joe Mazzulla and Dallas’ Jason Kidd. The first time it happened was in 1975 when the Golden State Warriors, coached by Al Attles, faced the Washington Bullets who were coached by former Celtic legend K.C. Jones.

6. LIVELY PLAYING WELL, WITH A HEAVY HEART
Despite being a rookie, Dereck Lively II has been an instrumental part of Dallas’ playoff run. When he has been on the floor during the playoffs, Dallas has outscored opponents by 108 points – tops among all rookies and second in the West overall. But he’s doing this while still mourning the death of his mother Kathy Drysdale, who passed away in April after a long bout with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. And this came years after his father died following a drug overdose in 2012. Lively II was among the top high school recruits in the country before attending Duke for a season and later, being drafted by Dallas with the 12th overall pick.

7. IT’S GOTTA BE THE SHOES, RIGHT?
While the play of Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic may be different, the two do have one thing in common: both have signature shoes under the Jordan Brand. You can already hear the “cha-ching!” immediately after all those close-up camera shots of the shoes worn by the two All-Stars.

8. STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM, NOW THEY’RE HERE
Success in the NBA often comes down to being in the right place at the right time, in the right situation. That’s certainly the case with Dallas’ P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford. Each was acquired via trade from two of the worst teams in the NBA. Washington came to Dallas from Charlotte, while Gafford had played previously in Washington.

9.  CUBAN’S STRONG PRESENCE REMAINS DESPITE NEW OWNERSHIP
Longtime Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban sold majority control of the team to casino magnate Miriam Adelson, in December. Despite no longer being the team’s primary owner, Cuban, who still has a 27 percent stake in the team, remains a presence within the team’s basketball operations.

10. CELTICS AIMING FOR TOP SPOT OVERALL
The Celtics winning an NBA title this year would do more than just be their first since 2008. It would also be the franchise’s 18th championship which would be one more than their longtime rival, the Los Angeles Lakers who tied the Celtics for most titles won by an organization when they won it all in 2020.