The East was won in a sweep, while the Western Conference only needed a Game 5 to determine the winning team.
Yes, there was a disappointing lack of drama, but the good news is that we have a NBA Finals that features the two best teams from the last six weeks.
There is some pressure on both the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks, but the stories before the Series has begun has set the table and the two teams have performed at a very high level.
Unsurprisingly the Boston Celtics will head into the NBA Finals, as they have been for a long time, but ruling out the Dallas Mavericks would be a mistake having come through as the underdog in each of the last two Series against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves. They are being led by a star looking to move into the next echelon, while the Boston Celtics have two players still looking to prove themselves by finally being able to call themselves NBA Champions.
It should mean a fun Series for as long as it lasts.
Much like last year, the first two Rounds produced a decent return for the NBA Picks, but the Conference Finals stumped me.
That is something to learn from when the PlayOffs come back around in twelve months time.
The entire NBA Finals coverage will be placed in this thread.
NBA Finals 2024- Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks (June 6th-23rd)
Thursday 6th June
Dallas Mavericks @ Boston Celtics Game 1 Pick: The NBA Finals begin on Thursday, although the wait between the end of the Conference Finals and the start of the Championship Series has not been ideal.
The schedulers cannot be blamed for that- not many would have tipped both Conference Final Series to have been as one-sided as they turned out to be.
It does mean plenty of rest for the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks ahead of the NBA Finals and that is also good news for the injured players who missed out on the Conference Finals.
Kristaps Porzingis is one beneficiary and he is set to suit up for the Boston Celtics in Game 1, which is a huge boost for the team. They have played well even without him, but the Celtics know they are a different beast with Porzingis in the starting lineup.
He will not be lacking for motivation against one of his former teams, but the Dallas Mavericks will also be suiting up a player with something to prove.
Kyrie Irving might not be the superstar for the Dallas Mavericks, but he has backed up Luka Doncic impressively in his time with the team. His play has been elevated in the post-season and Irving will be ready for Game 1 and the passionate Boston crowd that are going to try and rattle him out of his focus.
After winning a Championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kyrie Irving made a big splash by moving to Boston, but his two years with the team were underwhelming. The Celtics decided the team would grow more effectively without him and there was little love lost between the player and the team when he moved to Brooklyn.
Some believed that Kyrie Irving was a pretty poor fit in most places after failing with the Nets, but he has found a good home in Dallas and playing second fiddle to Luka Doncic might aid him.
At the same time, Irving will arrive in this Series with a point to prove and that certainly makes the NBA Finals that much more fascinating. He has played well in the post-season and Dallas are going to need him when facing this Boston Celtics team that could be back at full health and who have shown they can beat you in very different ways.
Defensively they have not played as well as hoped, but the return of Porzingis gives Boston a boost on this side of the court and the Celtics can make it pay in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Players like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are playing with the pressure to show they are able to fulfil the potential they have long held, but the supporting cast have been key for Boston. They will likely give Doncic plenty to think about when he is in the uncomfortable position of having to Defend against Derrick White or Jrue Holiday and the depth of this Celtics team is impressive.
Game 1 home favourites are on a strong run in the NBA Finals with the last ten ending 8-2 against the spread, while teams favoured by more than 4.5 points at home are 19-10-1 against the spread in the last thirty in that position.
The Celtics struggled for covers in the Eastern Conference Finals and this Dallas Mavericks team have played at a high level and been able to hang around in games. However, the return of Kristaps Porzingis and the crowd being fired up by seeing Kyrie Irving on the other side of the court feels like it will pump enough energy behind the home players to see them move into a 1-0 lead with a cover of this relatively wide line.
Sunday 9th June
Dallas Mavericks @ Boston Celtics Game 2 Pick: Despite being cleared to take part in Game 1, some fans of the Boston Celtics might have been a little concerned that Kristaps Porzingis was only going to feature from the bench.
Those concerns dissipated very quickly after Porzingis moved onto the court and he showed he is more than ready to take part in the NBA Finals and just gives the Boston Celtics a completely different look and feel.
They might have swept the Indiana Pacers in the Conference Finals, but Boston were made to work very hard and that meant there were one or two doubters about this time heading into the NBA Finals. However, the return of Kristaps Porzingis makes them that much tougher to defend and the Dallas Mavericks did not have many answers in a Game 1 in which they were down by 29 points during the First Half.
Luka Doncic did his best in the Third Quarter to rally the Mavericks and helped the team reduce that deficit to just 8 points, but the little support from those around him ultimately proved too much for Dallas and Doncic.
Adjustments will be made by Head Coach Jason Kidd and there may even be changes made to the starting lineup to make sure they can close on the Boston three point shooters. It was not a lights out display from beyond the arc, but the Celtics live and die by the three pointer and they threw up 42 of those in Game 1, which is 15 more than the Dallas Mavericks, while Boston also landed 16-7 compared with their visitors.
The reality is it has been tough to stop all season and especially with Porzingis on the court and the bigger adjustment for Dallas may be trying to match the output. They will certainly need more from Kyrie Irving, who heard the chants from a fanbase that have little love lost for him.
Boston felt like they had decided to try and lock down on the top two Dallas players and force others to beat them and that has been a concern for this Mavericks team. They have found a way to get the role players going in the previous Series, but doing so against the Boston Celtics is another challenge and the Dallas Mavericks may struggle to make this one much closer.
It should almost certainly be more competitive after Boston blew open a big lead by the middle of the Second Quarter, but getting much closer at the end of the game will be tough for the Mavericks.
Teams who have been blown out in the NBA Finals have followed up with a 9-18-2 record against the spread in the next outing over the last twenty-nine occasions when a double digit defeat has been suffered.
As mentioned in the Game 1 preview, teams favoured by at least 4.5 points at home are now 20-10-1 against the spread after Boston covered last time out, while home teams are 5-2-1 against the spread in the last eight Game 2 NBA Finals outings.
My concern is that Boston dropped Game 2 at home in the First Round Series and in the Conference Semi Final Series, but they avoided that fate in the Eastern Conference Finals. We have seen how much fight and determination this Dallas Mavericks team have and so they have to be respected, but the Celtics will feel that much stronger with Kristaps Porzingis back and they can back up the Game 1 win with another strong showing.
Wednesday 12th June
Boston Celtics @ Dallas Mavericks Game 3 Pick: It was a much better effort from the Dallas Mavericks, but they were not able to sustain things and the Boston Celtics had moved clear in the Fourth Quarter before holding on for a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals.
Both wins were at home so the Dallas Mavericks will make the trek back to Texas knowing that this Series is not beyond them, although Game 3 is effectively a 'must win' situation for them.
There was more support for Luka Doncic in Game 2 compared with Game 1, and he had eleven Assists compared with a single Assist. The whole starting lineup managed to get into double digits in terms of points, but the lack of depth was an issue for the Dallas Mavericks, while the continued struggles to hit consistently from the three point arc has proven to be fatal to the chances of earning an upset.
Being back at home should help the role players have a more consistent impact, but the Mavericks have not been dominant here in their run to the NBA Finals. This has to be a concern for Dallas and they will be looking to make a few more adjustments to make sure the players around Luka Doncic are able to have an impact on Game 3.
With a 2-0 lead, you might be forgiven for thinking the Boston Celtics are going to be extremely happy, but this is a team that knows it has yet to really perform to the level they have come to expect from themselves. They were very good in the First Quarter of Game 1, but the Celtics have not really imposed themselves on the NBA Finals and they have struggled to hit their three pointers as they would have liked.
Despite that, Boston have really ramped things up Defensively and they have made it clear that they are going to try and limit Doncic's impact as a playmaker. He has been allowed to make his own shots, but the Celtics are trying to make sure that others are not able to beat them and ultimately it has worked out as planned.
The Celtics have been dominant on the road in the post-season and that makes them dangerous, but Game 3s have tended to land in favour of the hosts and it makes this line a tough one to call. Boston have been the better team, but the Dallas Mavericks have to be highly motivated returning home and it would not surprise anyone if this came down to the final two minutes.
The trend that may continue to pay out is the 'under' with the total line dropping 3.5 points from Game 1.
The 'under' is 21-11-1 against the spread in the last thirty-three games in the NBA Finals and that includes in both games in this NBA Finals. Kristaps Porzingis is expected to be available for the Celtics and has offered a punch from the bench, but shooting has been a struggle for both teams and that may continue.
Friday 14th June
Boston Celtics @ Dallas Mavericks Game 4 Pick: There was a feeling prior to the start of the NBA Finals that the depth of the Boston Celtics would prove to be too much, although plenty of 'experts' picked the Dallas Mavericks to make this a very competitive Series.
After coming through the Western Conference impressively, the Mavericks would have felt confident, but all of their weaknesses have been on display as they have slipped 3-0 behind the Eastern Conference Champions.
Luka Doncic will be looking to rally the troops, but he has been on the end of plenty of sharp criticism after the Game 3 defeat.
His lack of Defensive effort has been the main talking point and you have to believe Doncic is going to have something to prove. It was perhaps ironic that he fouled out of the Game 3 defeat when trying to actually get his body between the ball and the basket, but it came at a bad time for the Mavericks who had rallied from a 21 point deficit and had pulled within 3 points of the Celtics and with time remaining in the Fourth Quarter.
Ultimately losing their best player ended the rally and the Dallas Mavericks have very little time between Game 3 and Game 4 to make adjustments, dust themselves off and look to avoid an embarrassing sweep.
There is no doubt that Luka Doncic will have heard and read all of the words focusing on him, but it has been a tough Series for him. Defensively he has never been the best, but there is only so much Doncic can do on the other side of the court and Boston have made it clear that the role players are not going to have a big impact on the Series.
Kyrie Irving played well in Game 3, but the Celtics are living with their former player and Doncic scoring points and the efforts to shut down the rest have really paid off.
You have to expect more of the same from the Boston Celtics, even if they almost shockingly blew a massive lead in the Game 3 victory. Ultimately that has taken them to the brink of winning a first NBA Championship in sixteen years and will place Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on another level all together.
Both played a big game on the road to help the Celtics win again and they have shown they can cope without Kristaps Porzingis, who had to sit down in Game 3 and has to be considered doubtful with the short turnaround into Game 4.
Boston have shown a couple of times in this Series that once they get hot, they are going to have all of the answers to this Dallas Mavericks Defensive scheme. The Celtics are finding the open man when it comes to setting up the three pointers and they are draining enough of them to really take control of the tempo.
After three games, it is very difficult to see a massive shift in the NBA Finals and the 'under' continues to be the play.
With the win on Wednesday, the 'under' is now 22-11-1 in the NBA Finals, while Game 4s in the Finals are 9-1 in favour of the 'under'.
There is a short turn in the action and that may contribute to another low-scoring game as Boston continue to make things very difficult for the Dallas role players. The Celtics do have the capabilities of putting up big points if they find their three point shooting groove, but Dallas have shown they can at least force some misses and the one point drop in the total may not be enough for the 'over' to come in.
Monday 17th June
Dallas Mavericks @ Boston Celtics Game 5 Pick: Criticisms were heard and there was a real worry that the Dallas Mavericks were going to be swept out of the NBA Finals.
Instead Luka Doncic came out with something to prove and Kyrie Irving's long run of defeats to his former team were ended in emphatic fashion as the Mavericks blew out the Boston Celtics in Game 4.
The game was so far out of hand that the Celtics actually didn't play their starters in the Fourth Quarter and the Mavericks may feel they have some real momentum now. In recent years in the NBA Finals, momentum has certainly been a factor once we get into the latter stages of the Series, and that is something the Dallas Mavericks will lean on as they look to find a way to earn one more home game in the 2023/24 season.
The manner of the defeat on Friday will have been a shock to the Boston Celtics, but this is a team that is unlikely to panic.
It is only the third defeat Boston have suffered in the post-season, but the previous two have been followed up with big wins and they will certainly feel confident of closing this NBA Finals at home. The reality is that the Celtics just had an off-shooting night, as they had in the previous PlayOff defeats, but Boston have shown they can avoid making those nights the norm rather than the exceptions.
At home you have to believe they will shoot the ball that much better than they managed in Game 4 and this is a team that will still be firm in the belief of controlling this NBA Finals.
Kristaps Porzingis was given clearance to play in Game 4, but did not get onto the court- this perhaps indicates that he will be ready to play a part in Game 5 with two days of rest between those two games and that will be a huge boost for the Celtics too.
Game 5 hosts have not had the best record covering the spread in recent NBA Finals, but being a big home favourite is perhaps the exception. Those being asked to lay at least 4.5 points are now 20-10-2 against the spread in the last thirty-two NBA Finals games in that situation and Boston are 1-0-1 against the spread in this Series.
The blowout loss of Game 4 is hard to ignore, but the last three teams that have been beaten by at least 30 points in a NBA Finals game have followed up not only with a win, but a win by double digits. As well as the Dallas Mavericks played in Game 4, they were aided by a poor day in the office from the Boston Celtics and it may be asking too much for that to happen again.
Dallas have made some adjustments that helped, but there is a feeling they could turn back to poor habits if this game begins poorly and the Boston Celtics look ready to be crowned NBA Champions again.
MY PICKS: 06/06 Boston Celtics - 6.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
09/06 Boston Celtics - 7 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
12/06 Dallas Mavericks-Boston Celtics Under 212.5 Points @ 1.91 Coral (1 Unit)
14/06 Dallas Mavericks-Boston Celtics Under 211.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
17/06 Boston Celtics - 6.5 Points @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)
NBA Finals: 3-0-1, + 2.73 Units (4 Units Staked, + 68.25% Yield)
Conference Finals: 3-6, - 3.27 Units (9 Units Staked, - 36.33% Yield)
Conference Semi Finals: 13-11, + 0.87 Units (24 Units Staked, + 3.63% Yield)
First Round: 22-17, + 3.27 Units (38 Units Staked, + 8.61% Yield)
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