Celtics-Mavericks NBA Finals Has Kyrie Irving Between Boston and Banner 18

Bobby Krivitsky | May 31, 2024

Jan 22, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) drives to the basket with Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4) defending during the third quarter at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports / Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports

On Monday, the Celtics punched their ticket to the NBA Finals for the second time in three years, holding the Pacers scoreless for the final 3:32 while staging a 10-2 rally to sweep Indiana out of the playoffs.

While the Mavericks needed a fifth game to claim the Western Conference crown, the stage is set for a best-of-seven between Boston and Dallas with the Larry O'Brien Trophy on the line.

The Mavericks seized control early in their close-out win over the Timberwolves, racing to a 35-19 lead entering the second quarter. Their advantage ballooned to 36, leaving no doubt as to who would win Thursday's matchup in Minnesota well before the final buzzer blew. Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic each put 36 points on the board in the victory.

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Perhaps it's fitting that in the eyes of Boston sports fans, the top heel among active athletes, regardless of sport, has gone from expressing his goal of seeing his jersey in the TD Garden rafters to standing in the way of Banner 18 hanging high above the parquet.

Irving, who's had his best season in years, is averaging 22.8 points, 5.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game in the 2024 playoffs while knocking down 42.1% of the 6.3 threes he's hoisting.

While his presence will evoke the most passionate response from Celtics fans, the top two players in this series, Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic, have an opportunity to separate themselves from the pack as the NBA searches for who the next face of the league will be.

An individual who may help swing that discussion in Tatum's favor is Kristaps Porzingis. According to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe, the former Maverick is "on track" to return during the Finals.

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Whether he's available for the series opener depends on when he progresses to working five-on-five and how his body responds to that as he continues attacking his rehab from a soleus strain in his right calf.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals is on Thursday, June 6, 38 days from when Porzingis suffered the injury during the first half of Game 4 against the Heat in the first round of the playoffs.

The seven-foot-three center only appeared in the second of the two regular-season tilts against Dallas, a 138-110 win on Mar. 1 at TD Garden, where he produced 24 points, made 8/14 shots, including 4/8 threes, and grabbed six rebounds.

The Celtics, who also won at American Airlines Center, averaged 128.5 points to the latter's 110 in those two matchups. They drilled 40.4% of their threes while limiting the Mavericks to 31.1% shooting from beyond the arc.

That's partially a reflection of Boston having four defenders that it can take comfort in guarding two of the league's most lethal one-on-one scorers. A prime example is the job Jaylen Brown did on Doncic in their first meeting this season, earning the lion's share of credit for the five-time All-Star needing 30 shots to score 33 points in 40 minutes.

But that was late January; the Finals are a different beast. And should it come down to crunch time, like it repeatedly did against the Pacers, the Celtics can take comfort in averaging the most points per game (13.3) and producing the highest plus-minus rating (plus-4.5) in the final five minutes of games within five points of any team that advanced past the first round this postseason.

Whether they outperform Doncic and Irving, the latter having authored perhaps the most clutch shot in league history, in those moments, may prove the final test Boston has to pass to reach the NBA summit.

Further Reading

Report: Celtics Center Kristaps Porzingis 'On Track' for NBA Finals Return

Al Horford Returns to NBA Finals Aiming to Add to a Legacy Already Cemented

Jaylen Brown's Evolution Propels Him to Eastern Conference Finals MVP

Crunch-Time Resolve Sends Celtics Back to NBA Finals

From Uncertain to Game 3 Hero, Jrue Holiday Propels Celtics to Finals Precipice

Jrue Holiday Starts Eastern Conference Finals with Best Game as a Celtic