by AAA Sports
Friday, May 31, 2024We figured Boston, which was the chalk since the beginning of the season and never took its foot off the accelerator through the In-Season event, the All-Star Game, and post-season. We didn’t figure Dallas, which has caught fire at the perfect time in its rampage through a very tough Western Conference. So what exactly will we have in store once the TV schedule-mandated week-long interregnum ends on June 6?
A few interesting storylines:
KYRIE IRVING – Has it really been half a decade since Irving promised Celtics fans that he would re-sign with Boston, then half-heartedly went through the motions in the playoffs before grabbing his BFF Kevin Durant and bolting for Brooklyn? For a while Irving avoided playing in Boston, but that option is no longer available and he’ll have to face the blood-thirsty Boston fans at least twice.
BACKCOURT vs. BACKCOURT – Speaking of Irving, has there ever been a better offensive backcourt than Irving and Luka Doncic? Maybe Steph Curry and Klay Thompson? Doncic and Irving have become the best finishers in the Association. If you doubt that, check with the Timberwolves, who could have taken control of the WCF early on if they had gotten anything at all from Karl-Anthony Towns. With Towns’s no-show, the burden was on Anthony Edwards and he was no match for the Doncic-Irving Machine. But the Dallas backcourt will have its hands full with Boston’s, with veterans Derek White and Jrue Holiday by far the best defensive twosome in the league. Will Boston double-team Doncic and/or Irving? Look for Jaylen Brown defending Irving, giving Boston a size edge at one spot, while Jrue Holiday battles with a Maverick big.
KIDD vs. MAZZULLA – The Celtics have so much talent, there hasn’t been much for Mazzulla to do; hence the nickname Sidecar Joe. Boston has had relatively few close games, and the Celts haven’t always shined down the stretch like they did the ECF against Indiana. But Mazzulla has had luck on his side (Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and Tyrese Haliburton all missed playoff time), and it doesn’t hurt having Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in the lineup. Will Jason Kidd have an advantage if things get antsy last in games?
AS FOR BROWN – Word is that the ECF MVP has not always been the most popular guy in the locker room, with the vets not liking JB’s refusal to defer to them early in his career. That slate has now been officially wiped clean, and now there is talk that Brown has even surpassed Tatum in the roster hierarchy, or may do that soon if Tatum doesn’t grow eyes in the back of his head. That might be a stretch, but there’s no doubt that Brown is a two-way (yes, he can D it up, too) beast.
WITHER PORZINGIS? – No one seems to know where the 7-foot-3 center stands in his rehab from a lower leg injury, and the Celtics aren’t talking. Even if he’s ready to go in Game 1 of the Finals, Porzingis will have been sidelined for 38 days. Will his shot think it’s still on vacation whenever KP gets back on the court? Will he have enough stamina to effectively deal with Dallas bigs Derek Lively and Daniel Gafford? Are the Celtics better off just keeping him on the sidelines and spotting him deeper in the rotation?
EARLY ODDS
Game 1 – The Celtics have been listed at -6 for the opener, although the number might move slightly if Porzingis is ruled in. The O/U number is 214.5. Note that the final game of the Boston/Indiana series went under, but the Celtics’ previous five games (three vs. Indiana, two vs. Cleveland) all went over. Similarly, five of Dallas’s last six games (including the WC semi-clincher vs. Oklahoma City) went over. No surprises in the listed odds for Finals MVP, with Jayson Tatum (-130) the favorite as he has been all season, followed by Luka Doncic (+200), Jaylen Brown (+600) and Kyrie Irving (+2400). The only real value there looks to be with Irving. Odds on a Celtics sweep -- +650. Odds on a Mavericks sweep -- +2300.
A few interesting storylines:
KYRIE IRVING – Has it really been half a decade since Irving promised Celtics fans that he would re-sign with Boston, then half-heartedly went through the motions in the playoffs before grabbing his BFF Kevin Durant and bolting for Brooklyn? For a while Irving avoided playing in Boston, but that option is no longer available and he’ll have to face the blood-thirsty Boston fans at least twice.
BACKCOURT vs. BACKCOURT – Speaking of Irving, has there ever been a better offensive backcourt than Irving and Luka Doncic? Maybe Steph Curry and Klay Thompson? Doncic and Irving have become the best finishers in the Association. If you doubt that, check with the Timberwolves, who could have taken control of the WCF early on if they had gotten anything at all from Karl-Anthony Towns. With Towns’s no-show, the burden was on Anthony Edwards and he was no match for the Doncic-Irving Machine. But the Dallas backcourt will have its hands full with Boston’s, with veterans Derek White and Jrue Holiday by far the best defensive twosome in the league. Will Boston double-team Doncic and/or Irving? Look for Jaylen Brown defending Irving, giving Boston a size edge at one spot, while Jrue Holiday battles with a Maverick big.
KIDD vs. MAZZULLA – The Celtics have so much talent, there hasn’t been much for Mazzulla to do; hence the nickname Sidecar Joe. Boston has had relatively few close games, and the Celts haven’t always shined down the stretch like they did the ECF against Indiana. But Mazzulla has had luck on his side (Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and Tyrese Haliburton all missed playoff time), and it doesn’t hurt having Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in the lineup. Will Jason Kidd have an advantage if things get antsy last in games?
AS FOR BROWN – Word is that the ECF MVP has not always been the most popular guy in the locker room, with the vets not liking JB’s refusal to defer to them early in his career. That slate has now been officially wiped clean, and now there is talk that Brown has even surpassed Tatum in the roster hierarchy, or may do that soon if Tatum doesn’t grow eyes in the back of his head. That might be a stretch, but there’s no doubt that Brown is a two-way (yes, he can D it up, too) beast.
WITHER PORZINGIS? – No one seems to know where the 7-foot-3 center stands in his rehab from a lower leg injury, and the Celtics aren’t talking. Even if he’s ready to go in Game 1 of the Finals, Porzingis will have been sidelined for 38 days. Will his shot think it’s still on vacation whenever KP gets back on the court? Will he have enough stamina to effectively deal with Dallas bigs Derek Lively and Daniel Gafford? Are the Celtics better off just keeping him on the sidelines and spotting him deeper in the rotation?
EARLY ODDS
Game 1 – The Celtics have been listed at -6 for the opener, although the number might move slightly if Porzingis is ruled in. The O/U number is 214.5. Note that the final game of the Boston/Indiana series went under, but the Celtics’ previous five games (three vs. Indiana, two vs. Cleveland) all went over. Similarly, five of Dallas’s last six games (including the WC semi-clincher vs. Oklahoma City) went over. No surprises in the listed odds for Finals MVP, with Jayson Tatum (-130) the favorite as he has been all season, followed by Luka Doncic (+200), Jaylen Brown (+600) and Kyrie Irving (+2400). The only real value there looks to be with Irving. Odds on a Celtics sweep -- +650. Odds on a Mavericks sweep -- +2300.
