5 Reasons the Mavericks will destroy the Celtics in the NBA Finals

The Dallas Mavericks have reached the pinnacle of the basketball world for the first time since 2011, as the Mavericks closed out the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals en route to solidifying an NBA Finals birth.

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving finished with 36 points each in Dallas' Game 5 victory, as they've proven that they can make quick work of any opponent when they are fully dialed in offensively, especially when you take into consideration how consistent Dallas' defense has become ever since the trade deadline.

The fashion in which Dallas' roster has synchronized together throughout the second half of the regular season and in these playoffs has been beautiful to watch, and it has given the Mavericks a fighting chance to beat anyone in a seven-game series.

5 Reasons the Mavericks will destroy the Celtics in the NBA Finals

However, the Mavericks are going up against the toughest opponent that they've faced in the 2024 NBA Playoffs to date in the Boston Celtics, and there are a ton of compelling narratives heading into this series.

This series will mark a return to Boston for Kyrie Irving and a return to Dallas for Kristaps Porzingis, so the stakes couldn't be set any higher when you take into consideration what both of these squads have to play for after having proven that they are the best team in each of their respected conferences.

With that being said, here are five reasons the Dallas Mavericks will destroy the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals.

5. Mavericks have a deeper bench compared to the Celtics

While the Celtics have one of the deepest starting fives in the NBA when fully healthy in Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Kristaps Porzingis, the Mavericks have an opportunity to best the Celtics in their bench units. Like the Mavericks, the Celtics are playing a thinner rotation at this stage in the playoffs, but Dallas can certainly win within the margins when the likes of Tatum or Brown are resting.

In the Celtics' Game 4 victory over the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, they only played the likes of Payton Pritchard, Xavier Tillman, and Sam Hauser for a combined 32 minutes off the bench, as Celtics' head coach Joe Mazzulla will be keen on extending his starters minutes as much as possible in this upcoming series versus the Mavericks as well.

With multiple days in between games, it will be easier for Boston's starters to play heavy minutes in the Finals in all likelihood, but the Mavericks still unequivocally maintain the deeper bench. It should be noted that the pending return of Kristaps Porzingis to Boston's lineup will move Al Horford to the bench for the Celtics in all likelihood, but the Celtics don't really have any other dynamic players off the bench unless Payton Pritchard or Sam Hauser get hot from the outside.

Dallas on the other hand has three tried and true rotation pieces from the guard and wing spots off the bench, as the likes of Dante Exum, Josh Green, and Jaden Hardy all stepped up in some big moments against the Timberwolves in this past series on both sides of the ball. With Maxi Kleber returning to Dallas' lineup in Game 4 of that series as well, the Mavericks have the ability to stagger him and Dereck Lively II off the bench, and perhaps we may even see them playing together more in the Finals with as well as Lively II has been anchoring the five-spot in these playoffs.

The Mavericks' bench has become one of the best in the NBA ever since the trade deadline, and their ability to bring two dynamic defensive bigs into the game off the bench to counter the Celtics' bigs floor spacing will be crucial in the NBA Finals.