Whether he's finding 3-point shooters or getting past big men, Luka Doncic's passing has been some of the best this postseason.
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The Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks will likely be the two strongest teams to face each other in this playoff series.
The Celtics have been so dominant, losing just two of their past 10 games without Kristaps Porzingis (fewest of any Finals team in the past seven years) and outscoring opponents by 10.8 points per 100 possessions.
But their opponents were also undermanned and no team was stronger than the Mavs, who are 36-14 since the start of February, and the Celtics (obviously) have never faced a duo as difficult to guard as Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
As the NBA Finals begin on Thursday, here are some numbers to know about the Celtics and Mavs:8:30 p.m. ET, ABC):
Basics
1. The Celtics are the first team in the 28 years that we have had play-by-play data to be statistically the best team in the regular season (plus-11.7 points per 100 possessions) and the first three rounds of the playoffs (plus-17.0 in the first round, plus-8.5 in the conference semifinals and plus-6.3 in the conference finals).
2. The Celtics are outshooting their opponents by 9.9 points per game on 3-pointers, 4.1 points per game in the restricted area and 6.1 points per game in free throws — all by their highest margins in the playoffs.
3. Luka Doncic He is averaging 28.8 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game. If he can maintain those numbers, he will become just the third player to average at least 28 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists in 15 or more playoff games, joining LeBron James (2015, 2018) and Nikola Jokic (2023).
Four. The Mavs are the only team in the past three playoff games to win multiple games after trailing by 17 or more points (2-3), while the Celtics are 10-0 when blowing double-digit leads.
Five. In the 22 years (44 total teams) since first-round series were changed to best-of-seven, the Celtics (6-2 home, 6-0 road) and Mavs (5-3, 7-2) are just the fifth and sixth teams to reach the Finals with better playoff records on the road than at home.
Celtics efficiency by round
| round | Opposition. | Off Rtg | Rank | Adjustment | DefRtg | Rank | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Missing | 117.7 | 3 | +6.2 | 100.7 | 3 | -12.6 |
| Conference. Semi-finals | The Kremlin | 120.2 | 2 | +8.0 | 111.7 | 2 | -3.0 |
| Meeting. Finals | India | 121.0 | 1 | +3.4 | 114.8 | 2 | -5.8 |
OffRtg = Points per 100 possessions
AdjO = OffRtg – Opponent's Regular Season DefRtg
DefRtg = Points allowed per 100 possessions
AdjD = DefRtg – Opponent's Regular Season OffRtg
Celtics Offense
6. The Celtics are first in the playoffs in field goal percentage in the paint (63.2%) but last in shooting percentage in the paint (42%).
7. They are shooting 47.4 percent from three-point range, the best rate in the playoffs by a significant margin and just above their league-best rate during the regular season (47.1 percent).
8. Jaylen Brown He made 97 of 149 shots in the paint (65.1%), the best mark among the 16 players with at least 100 shots in the paint and up from 60.7% during the regular season.
9. Payton Pritchard His 3-point shooting percentage was 20-of-44 (45.5%), second-best among 72 players who have attempted at least 25 3-pointers in the playoffs. Jrue Holiday (15 out of 31 successful, 48.4%) Derrick White (36 out of 76 times, 47.4%) ranked second and third Catch and Shoot Three-point shooting percentages for 45 players who took at least 25 catch-and-shoot attempts.
Ten. Jayson Tatum He made just 20 of 60 pull-up 2-point shots (33.3 percent), the worst performance among the 21 players who attempted at least 25.
Celtics Defense
11. Boston opponents are attempting just 14.5 free throws per 100 shots from the field, the lowest opponent free throw percentage in NBA playoff history. The Celtics' three opponents have recorded three of the four lowest free throw percentages in any series in NBA history.
Lowest free throw percentage in NBA playoff series
| team | Year | Opponent | F.G.A. | Free Trade Agreement | FTA/FGA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | 2024 | Boston | 433 | 58 | 0.134 |
| Golden State | 2023 | LA Lakers | 573 | 80 | 0.140 |
| Miami | 2024 | Boston | 406 | 60 | 0.148 |
| Indiana | 2024 | Boston | 361 | 56 | 0.155 |
| Chicago | 2022 | Milwaukee | 451 | 72 | 0.160 |
12. Opponents shot just 18 percent of their 3-pointers from the corners, their lowest percentage of the playoffs, and their worst shooting percentage in the regular season (21 percent), with the Mavs hitting just 4 of 16 corner shots in their two faceoffs.
13. They rank second in defensive rebounding percentage (77.0%) and are allowing just 8.3 second-chance points per game, the fewest of any playoff team over the past seven years.
Mavs efficiency per round
| round | Opposition. | Off Rtg | Rank | Adjustment | DefRtg | Rank | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | LAC | 115.9 | 7 | +1.3 | 109.5 | 6 | -8.5 |
| Conference. Semi-finals | Oklahoma City | 112.0 | Four | +0.9 | 111.8 | 3 | -6.5 |
| Meeting. Finals | Minutes | 118.3 | 2 | +9.9 | 112.1 | 1 | -2.5 |
OffRtg = Points per 100 possessions
AdjO = OffRtg – Opponent's Regular Season DefRtg
DefRtg = Points allowed per 100 possessions
AdjD = DefRtg – Opponent's Regular Season OffRtg
Mavs' attack
14. In the conference semifinals, the Mavs scored 18.5 more points per 100 possessions than the Thunder allowed in the first round, and in the conference finals, they scored 11.7 more points per 100 possessions than the Timberwolves allowed in the conference semifinals. Those were the biggest jumps in each round.
15. The Mavericks lead the playoffs with 4.6 corner 3-pointers made per game, and 34% of their 3-pointers (second-highest percentage) have come from the corners. P.J. Washington He set a personal record with 28 corner 3-pointers (five fewer than Bruce Bowen's record of 33 in 2007), while Derrick Jones Jr. He is tied for second place with 17.
16. The team held 31% of available offensive rebounds, the fourth-highest rate in the playoffs and up from 25.7% (25th) in the regular season. This is a significant increase in offensive rebounding percentage.
17. Luka Doncic (31.3%) Kyrie Irving (23.5%) rank fourth and 15th in usage rate among the 52 players who played at least 250 minutes in the playoffs. Those numbers are down from 35.5% (second) and 27.4% in the regular season, the largest and third-largest drop among the 52 players.
18. Doncic He leads the playoffs in both 3-point shot assists (50) and dunk assists (49). His 49 dunk assists are the most in 28 postseasons with play-by-play data (tied with Draymond Green in 2019, through 22 games played).
Most dunk assists in a playoff game since 1997
| player | Year | GP | AST | Per Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Doncic | 2024 | 17 | 49 | 2.9 |
| Draymond Green | 2019 | twenty two | 49 | 2.2 |
| Jrue Holiday | 2021 | twenty three | 44 | 1.9 |
| Trae Young | 2021 | 16 | 42 | 2.6 |
| Russell Westbrook | 2016 | 18 | 40 | 2.2 |
Mavs Defense
19. Dallas opponents are shooting 51.1% in the paint, third-lowest in the playoffs, and their opponents are shooting just 38-of-84 (45.2%) at the rim. Daniel Gafford He was there to protect. That's the best rim protection record among 17 players who have blocked at least 50 shots at the rim. Derek Lively II They have the third-best record (35 of 71 successes, 49.3%).
20. Their lineup is Vibrant With Gafford in place, the team has allowed just 98.5 points per 100 possessions, the best mark among the eight lineups that have played at least 100 minutes in these playoffs.
twenty one. Opponents shot 20-of-68 (29.4%). Maxi CleverHis expected field goal percentage on those shots is 49.0%, the second-largest margin among the 106 players who have blocked at least 50 shots in the playoffs.
Who's on the floor?
twenty two. Tatum While he's on the court, the Celtics have outscored opponents by 141 points and are ranked first in cumulative plus-minus in the playoffs.
twenty three. The Mavs scored 27.6 points per 100 possessions. Irving His point differential when he's on the court (plus-8.2) is greater than his point differential when he's off the court (minus-19.4), the largest on-off differential among the 52 players who have played at least 250 playoff minutes.
twenty four. Jones He's averaging 31.2 minutes per game in the playoffs, up from 23.5 in the regular season, the second-largest increase behind Josh Hart among the 76 players with at least eight playoff games. Tim Hardaway Jr. (26.8 to 13.0) and Dante Exum (19.8 to 13.3) was the second-largest drop among those same 76 players.
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John Schumann is a senior statistical analyst for NBA.com. Click here to email him or here for archives. Follow him on X.
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