Luka Doncic gives initial thoughts on the Celtics’ showdown in the NBA Finals, originally appearing on NBC Sports Boston
The 2024 NBA Finals matchup between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks features plenty of star power.
It includes two first-team All-NBA players: Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Mavs guard Luka Doncic. Celtics guard Jaylen Brown and Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving are also All-NBA caliber players. Both teams have surrounded their stars with a strong supporting cast.
That said, the Celtics are the favorites to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy, and that’s far from a surprise.
They had the best record in the league at 64-18 during the regular season – seven wins better than any other team – and they advanced through the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 12-2 record. The C’s will have home field advantage in the final, but they have also won eight straight play-off games.
Doncic understands the challenge that awaits Dallas in the finals.
“I mean, they’re the best team in the NBA,” Doncic said at his press conference Thursday after eliminating the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals.
“They had the best record by far and they have some incredible weapons on offense and defense. We’re going to have to play really hard and great basketball to beat them.”
Doncic averaged 35 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists per game in two meetings against the Celtics during the regular season, but the C’s won both fairly easily: a 119-110 win on Jan. 22 in Dallas and a 138-110 victory on January 22. March 1 in Boston.
Doncic and Irving will likely score between 50 and 65 points per game in the upcoming series. The real question mark for the Mavericks is whether their role players can step up and be a consistent threat offensively.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals is scheduled for Thursday, June 6 at TD Garden. NBC Sports Boston will provide coverage of each Finals match before the game, at halftime and after the game.
