Jayson Tatum Predicts Mavericks-Celtics Rematch in Finals

Tatum hopped on "The Tonight Show" with Jimmy Fallon and gave his prediction for the 2025 NBA Finals

Jun 17, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) controls the ball against Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) during the second quarter in game five of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images / Peter Casey-Imagn Images

The Boston Celtics made quick work of the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals, taking home their first championship since 2008. Dallas reloaded around Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving by adding Klay Thompson and some other key pieces, hoping they can make it back to The Finals next season and win it all. According to Celtics star Jayson Tatum, they did enough to meet the Celtics there next year.

Tatum appeared on Wednesday Night's episode of "The Tonight Show" with Jimmy Fallon to promote his new children's book "Baby Dunks-a-Lot." At the end of the interview, Fallon asked Tatum a few NBA-related questions, including who he thinks will meet in the NBA Finals in 2025 (around the 5:11 mark).

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He immediately mentioned the Boston Celtics before deliberating for a few seconds and continuing "It's gonna be a rematch. We're gonna play Dallas again."

If the Mavericks could get a rematch in The Finals, they should be better prepared with more perimeter shooting. Not being able to space the floor around Doncic and Irving was a big reason why they lost that series, though Doncic's health and Irving's poor play in Boston played a huge part as well. If they can enter the next postseason healthy, that should be a more entertaining series than last season's was. Irving would love to play better against his former team on a big stage, as he's struggled any time he's played in Boston since leaving for the Brooklyn Nets in free agency in 2019.

Boston kept every major piece from last year's championship team, hoping to be the first franchise to win back-to-back since the superteam Golden State Warriors did it with Thompson, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant in 2017 and 2018. Al Horford and Jrue Holiday are a year further into their 30s now, but Tatum, Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White are entering their primes.

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