It’s official! The two teams competing in this year’s NBA finals will be the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks. The first official matchup between the two teams was on June 6 (5:30 p.m. PST) and was broadcast on ABC.
Now, it’s no surprise that both teams made it into the finals. The Celtics and Mavericks had an overall dominant performance this postseason in their respective conferences.
The first-seeded Celtics had a phenomenal performance this postseason, as they powered through the first round and conference semifinals by repeating back-to-back 4 to 1 series in both rounds. Their performance would continue toward the Eastern Conference Finals, when the Celtics swept the Indiana Pacers 4 to 0.
Despite losing all four games, the Pacers had a respectable performance and were by no means an easy competition, since in 3 out of 4 of the matchups, they lost by less than 5 points.
Game 4 between the Celtics and the Pacers was a neck-and-neck matchup, and initially, it seemed like the Pacers were going to walk away from the match with a close win. But the Celtics, led by superstars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, managed to persevere in the last several minutes by taking a lead over the Pacers, ultimately giving the Celtics a win and advancing them to the finals.
Along with winning the series, the Celtics brought home the Bob Cousy Eastern Conference trophy, marking their second time acquiring it in 3 seasons. Additionally, Jaylen Brown was named MVP during the series for his performance. Brown, who averaged 29.8 points during all 4 games, was shocked and genuinely confused when he won the award, mainly because he felt he didn’t receive any recognition for his skills and never won any awards prior to the series.
“I wasn’t expecting it at all. I don’t never win s —,” Brown said in an interview with the press after winning the award. “I’m just happy that we won.”
On the other side of the playoff bracket, the fifth-seeded Mavericks also had a stellar performance during this postseason, as they stormed through the first round and conference semifinals by having back-to-back 4 to 2 outings against the Clippers and the first-seeded Thunder. Their hot streak would trail on into the Western Conference Finals, as they beat the Timberwolves 4 to 1.
Similarly to the Pacers, despite losing 3 out of the 4 matchups, the Timberwolves also had an impressive performance and held their ground in each game against the Mavericks. The Timberwolves was led by the young and flamboyant Anthony Edwards, who had a great performance throughout the series, averaging 24.6 PPG, 8.8 RPG and 7.8 APG
Edward’s and the team’s best overall performance during this series was during game 4, where he nearly finished the game with a triple-double stat line. Timberwolves center and all-star Karl-Anthony Towns would also find his groove this game by scoring 25 points to help secure the win during the close matchup.
Unfortunately, the success they experienced during game 4 couldn’t continue into game 5, as the Timberwolves lost to the Mavericks by 20 points. The Mavericks were led by superstars Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, the latter going back to the finals after 8 years.
By winning the Western Conference Finals, the Mavericks were awarded the Oscar Robertson Western Conference trophy, and Dončić was named MVP of the series by averaging 32.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists throughout the series — a near triple-double stat line.
When asked by NBA sportscaster Ernie Johnson about being named MVP of the series, Dončić would humbly respond by saying, “This trophy’s the whole team man, it’s not me.”
Game 1 of the finals was last Thursday (June 6th) at 5:30 p.m., PST:
- Game 1: June 6 @ Celtics (5:30 PST)
- Game 2: June 9 @ Celtics (5:00 PST)
- Game 3: June 12 @ Mavericks (5:30 PST)
- Game 4: June 14 @ Mavericks (5:30 PST)
The next few games will happen only if necessary:
- Game 5: June 17 @ Celtics (5:30 PST)
- Game 6: June 20 @ Mavericks (5:30 PST)
- Game 7: June 23 @ Celtics (5:00 PST)
For any additional news on this year’s finals, head to the official NBA website for the latest information on matches, statlines and more.
