The Boston Celtics were expected to make it to the NBA Finals. They had the best record in the league during the regular season and were the favorite to win the Eastern Conference when the postseason began. The Dallas Mavericks were not expected to get that far.
The two teams meet on Thursday in Game 1, with Boston holding a huge advantage in both the opener and the series.
This is a matchup between two teams with star duos. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were the No. 3 picks by the Celtics back-to-back years (Brown in 2016, Tatum in 2017) and have been leading the team for years. Luka Doncic joined Dallas as the No. 3 pick in 2018, but only paired with Kyrie Irving late last season. The Dallas duo started to work well, leading the Mavs to a 16-2 record late in the regular season, but both players missed the final two games of the regular season. Dallas entered the postseason as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference, but has performed much better than that in the past three months.
All odds are taken from BetMGM. Find the best ticket deals on StubHub.
Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics
How to watch: 8:30pm ET on ABC
Series Odds: Celtics -225, Mavericks +180
Looking at how these two teams have played this season, this series should be competitive, but the odds suggest otherwise. The odds suggest Boston has about a 70% chance of winning the series. The most likely series outcome is Boston winning in five games, at +300 with BetMGM.
Boston has been untested in the playoffs this season. The Celtics went 12-2 in the playoffs and won the Eastern Conference Finals, but Indiana lost late leads in three of four games in that series. Boston also played multiple games in each series with their opponents missing arguably their best players. The Celtics have been breezing through the playoffs for the most part, but a healthy Dallas team should be a big step up in the competition.
Dallas has also avoided any major drama in the playoffs this season. The Mavs defeated Minnesota in five games in the Western Conference Finals and won each of the first two rounds in six games. They accomplished this while starting every series on the road.
The two teams met twice in the regular season, with Boston winning both games. Tatum is averaging 35.5 points per game and Doncic is averaging 35 points per game. Fasten your seat belts.
Titles usually define a team's legend, but that may be especially true in this series. Tatum and Brown have yet to win a title despite being considered top contenders for the past few years. Boston made it to the NBA Finals two years ago but lost to Golden State in six games. Can they become winners, or will they fall just short again this year?
Doncic will be playing in his first NBA Finals. No one doubts the Slovenian is arguably the best guard in the league, but to become a true sports great, he must win a title at some point. He didn't have a strong supporting cast early in his career, but with Irving on board, the Mavs are in the Finals. Irving won a championship with Cleveland in 2016 alongside LeBron James, playing a key role in the upset that year against Golden State. If he wins with another team, he will solidify his legacy as a winning player.
With all the talk of stars, are there any supporting players who stand out in this series? PJ Washington has had some standout games in these playoffs for Dallas, especially in the second round against Oklahoma City, and Derrick White has played well for Boston. Will these two play a key role in this series or will it all come down to the performance of the star duo?
Mavericks expert predictions for Celtics game
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(Photo of Luka Doncic by David Berding/Getty Images)
