NBA Finals: Celtics vs Mavs
- Thread starter RorschachsMask
- Start date
I'll say 6, since I don't see an issue picking them to close it out on the road.
There will be shot variance, effort variance, and "solving a problem Dallas has figured out how to present right now" variance. The Celtics will figure Dallas out at some point, but it will take some time and punches back and forth and scary moments for us.
There will be shot variance, effort variance, and "solving a problem Dallas has figured out how to present right now" variance. The Celtics will figure Dallas out at some point, but it will take some time and punches back and forth and scary moments for us.
Luka could go off, Celts could lose focus, but I think Celts are the better team.
Celts in 5 or 6
Celts in 5 or 6
Wolves didn’t have the offensive weapons to always have someone that can exploit Luka in action, the Celtics certainly do.
Defensively, Id expect Jaylen on Luka and Tatum on Gafford/Lively, so they can switch the PnR.
And again, Tatum fucking destroys Dallas.
His last four games against them. 34/12/6 on a 63% TS
+73
Defensively, Id expect Jaylen on Luka and Tatum on Gafford/Lively, so they can switch the PnR.
And again, Tatum fucking destroys Dallas.
His last four games against them. 34/12/6 on a 63% TS
+73
I don't think Dallas had Gafford or Washington for any of those games though no?
I think the Celtics are going to take and make 500 threes per quarter in this series.
Tough to see how Dallas would pick up many wins here unless it’s a tough shooting night for Boston or unbelievable shooting night for Dallas.
Tough to see how Dallas would pick up many wins here unless it’s a tough shooting night for Boston or unbelievable shooting night for Dallas.
In the most recent game they did, thought they were pretty new additions. Tatum wrecked PJ constantly in Charlotte too though.
I Game B-lieve
Win in 5. We’re better. And over the years, the Jays have been tempered by fire.
Game 1 will be tougher imo. Dallas plays well rested and Boston sometimes struggles to find their rhythm.
I'd guess the range of likely outcomes is Celtics in 5 to Mavericks in 7
If things break Boston's way (KP comes back and is highly effective at both ends, we get and stay hot from outside, the Mazzulla gang outcoaches the Kidd gang) then Dallas takes a game somewhere along the way but overall have too steep a hill to climb.
More likely, Kyrie and Luka each go berserk for long enough, Dallas' defense and our periodic shooting slumps cause our offense to get pedestrian long enough, and Dallas' coaching staff throws us a few curveballs that take a quarter or two to sort out... and the Mavs win 2-3 games before we put them away.
Worse case scenario we get into game 7, react to all the pressure in the worst way, and Kyrie does a victory dance on the Leprechaun
Had to make a specific prediction: Celtics in 6
If things break Boston's way (KP comes back and is highly effective at both ends, we get and stay hot from outside, the Mazzulla gang outcoaches the Kidd gang) then Dallas takes a game somewhere along the way but overall have too steep a hill to climb.
More likely, Kyrie and Luka each go berserk for long enough, Dallas' defense and our periodic shooting slumps cause our offense to get pedestrian long enough, and Dallas' coaching staff throws us a few curveballs that take a quarter or two to sort out... and the Mavs win 2-3 games before we put them away.
Worse case scenario we get into game 7, react to all the pressure in the worst way, and Kyrie does a victory dance on the Leprechaun
Had to make a specific prediction: Celtics in 6
C's in 6. Somewhere in the first game or 2, Celtics play a tight quarter or 2, the reffing gets eggregiously lopsided, and a game slips away. Maybe in another game in Dallas, on the verge of elimination, Kyrie and Luka gain white-hot powers of cant-missery and Dallas pulls out a close one.
But in the necessary 4 games, the better team wins.
Ideally, we see each one of Tatum, Brown, White, Holiday, KP and Al respectively score at heroic levels, so that this 6-game series becomes an irrefutable testimony to the power of team basketball. With (okay, by now I'm wish-casting wildly) one game in which Coach Joe Mazulla gets so frustrated with play that he snares a stray out-of-bounds ball, issues a serial-killer cackle, and takes it to the basket himself.
But in the necessary 4 games, the better team wins.
Ideally, we see each one of Tatum, Brown, White, Holiday, KP and Al respectively score at heroic levels, so that this 6-game series becomes an irrefutable testimony to the power of team basketball. With (okay, by now I'm wish-casting wildly) one game in which Coach Joe Mazulla gets so frustrated with play that he snares a stray out-of-bounds ball, issues a serial-killer cackle, and takes it to the basket himself.
Celtics in 5. There will be some nail biters, but they will go at Luka to make him work on defense and he's gonna be gassed by the 4th qtr.
Dallas also has not experienced the decibel levels that the Garden can get to. Its going to be intimidating for them.
Finally, the media tongue bath that Dallas is about to get for a week straight is going to piss the Celtics off, and they will.be ready to fuck all.
Dallas also has not experienced the decibel levels that the Garden can get to. Its going to be intimidating for them.
Finally, the media tongue bath that Dallas is about to get for a week straight is going to piss the Celtics off, and they will.be ready to fuck all.
Feels like with a semi healthy KP, this series should be Celtics in 5.
I've been wrong before and I'll be wrong again. But I think we are genuinely better than the Mavs.
Kyrie and Fat Luka beating us with a bunch of kind of mediocre role players would be pretty devastating.
I've been wrong before and I'll be wrong again. But I think we are genuinely better than the Mavs.
Kyrie and Fat Luka beating us with a bunch of kind of mediocre role players would be pretty devastating.
Odds for series are:
Celtics 4-1 +300
Celtics 4-3 +420
Celtics 4-2 +470
Mavs 4-2 +550
Celtics 4-0 +600
Mavs 4-3 +800
Mavs 4-1 +1100
Mavs 4-0 +2300
Celtics 4-1 +300
Celtics 4-3 +420
Celtics 4-2 +470
Mavs 4-2 +550
Celtics 4-0 +600
Mavs 4-3 +800
Mavs 4-1 +1100
Mavs 4-0 +2300
Sked:
View: https://twitter.com/KeithSmithNBA/status/1796372545735684271
2024 NBA Finals schedule: (all games on ABC, all times ET)
Game 1 - at Boston - Thu, June 6 - 8:30 PM
Game 2 - at Boston - Sun, June 9 - 8:00 PM
Game 3 - at Dallas - Wed, June 12 - 8:30 PM
Game 4 - at Dallas - Fri, June 14 - 8:30 PM
Game 5 - at Boston - Mon, June 17 - 8:30 PM*
Game 6 - at Dallas - Thu, June 20 - 8:30 PM*
Game 7 - at Boston - Sun, June 23 - 8:00 PM*
*if necessary
Lots of rest for Al and KP.
View: https://twitter.com/KeithSmithNBA/status/1796372545735684271
2024 NBA Finals schedule: (all games on ABC, all times ET)
Game 1 - at Boston - Thu, June 6 - 8:30 PM
Game 2 - at Boston - Sun, June 9 - 8:00 PM
Game 3 - at Dallas - Wed, June 12 - 8:30 PM
Game 4 - at Dallas - Fri, June 14 - 8:30 PM
Game 5 - at Boston - Mon, June 17 - 8:30 PM*
Game 6 - at Dallas - Thu, June 20 - 8:30 PM*
Game 7 - at Boston - Sun, June 23 - 8:00 PM*
*if necessary
Lots of rest for Al and KP.
Celtics in 7: Worries over Porzingis' health, JB fading in the finals, Luka goes next level...but, this Celtics team is the best team in the NBA.
This made me laugh unreasonably. Thank you.
Mazzulla in a pink pillbox hat for Game 1?
Home court isn't what it used to be, but picking Celtics in 6 means picking the Celtics to win game 6 in Dallas. Generally speaking, it makes more sense to pick Celtics in 5 or 7 than 6.
There is a reason most knowledgable people tend to pick the home team to win in 5 if they have a legit advantage (I think the Celtics do in this case, though reasonable minds can differ).
C's in 6, since it is fitting to win on the road with their 6-2 home/6-0 road playoff records. Funny fact is this will feature the first Finals games the C's play outside of Mass or California since also playing in Texas vs the Rockets in 1986.
C's in 7. KP's uncertainty puts this series a nail biter until the glorious end.
P. S. Jru will be the unofficial MVP.
P. S. Jru will be the unofficial MVP.
Mark Cuban makes a new fan section in the stands: the Grassy Knoll
Cs in 5. They ain't ready for what's about to hit them.
Celtics in 5. They've been the best team in the NBA all season and KP is going to be back. Luka/Kyrie and JT/JB equal out (simplifying a bit), and the rest of our supporting cast is better.
There's a reason all the non-biased former players have been picking the Celtics and questioning the idiocy of the narrative around them.
There's a reason all the non-biased former players have been picking the Celtics and questioning the idiocy of the narrative around them.
Curious how Dallas matches up against Boston. I don't recall what they did earlier in the season (knowing that one of those games didn't involve Washington or Gafford)
Kyrie on Jrue
Luka on White
Washington on Jaylen
Jones Jr on Tatum
Lively on Porzingis/Horford
Kyrie on Jrue
Luka on White
Washington on Jaylen
Jones Jr on Tatum
Lively on Porzingis/Horford
Off Jrue is my guess. Kryie on White.
Of course, then you’re gathering uncalled 3 second violations in the paint while the league’s best corner 3% shooter sits alone in the corner.