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.

4. Luka Doncic is the best player in this series, and he'll be fired up about playing against Kristaps Porzingis

When the Dallas Mavericks traded for Kristaps Porzingis in February of 2019, they did so because they were surprised at how fast Luka Doncic was blowing past his developmental curve, as the Mavericks were keen on pairing Doncic with a co-star early on in his career. Unfortunately for the Mavericks, the duo never worked out to the level that many hoped it would, and Porzingis was subsequently traded to the Wizards at the trade deadline in 2022.

Ironically, the former European duo will meet in the NBA Finals, as Porzingis has revitalized his career with the Wizards and Celtics by becoming a more stout presence in the post as well as a more consistent rim protector. Doncic on the other hand has become a perennial MVP candidate ever since Porzingis left Dallas, and he certainly won't save any grace for his former teammate on the court when they play against each other in the Finals.

It was revealed earlier this season that Doncic and Porzingis' relationship in Dallas had a few more hiccups behind the scenes that we didn't know about at the time the duo were still together, so it's safe to say that there will be plenty of fuel to the fire for the Mavericks and Doncic to best Porzingis and the Celtics in these Finals.

Heading into this series Porzingis is coming off of a calf injury that's kept him out most of the playoffs, while Doncic has fought through various injuries and illnesses en route to winning Western Conference Finals MVP. With a full week of rest and recovery on the horizon for Doncic, he should project to be the healthiest that he's been throughout these entire playoffs once the Mavs kick off Game 1 in Boston on June 6.

Equipped with the best roster that he's had since being in Dallas as well as more agility and quickness assuming that he has recovered from his injuries some by Game 1, we may see Doncic's best performance in these playoffs in the NBA Finals, especially when you take into consideration that he has extra motivation playing against Porzingis.

3. Mavericks will be at full strength for the first time since the start of playoffs

Despite the Dallas Mavericks immense success over the past few months, injuries haven't been the kindest to this squad, particularly in the playoffs. It's well known that Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic has been battling lower leg injuries since the genesis of the playoffs, something that was clearly affecting Doncic's play and mobility within the first two rounds at the very least.

The Mavericks have also suffered with injuries in the playoffs from Tim Hardaway Jr., Maxi Kleber, and Dereck Lively II, as Dallas' Game 5 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves was one of the few times in these playoffs that Dallas has had a fully healthy roster. With everyone back at close to full strength and a full week of rest on the schedule for this Mavericks' roster, this will be the healthiest that they've been in quite some time, as having their full array of personnel will be crucial against the Boston Celtics' versatility.

The Mavericks are also at full strength from the standpoint of how optimized their rotations have been recently, as head coach Jason Kidd has done a great job of staggering minutes off the bench in the guard spots with Josh Green, Dante Exum, and Jaden Hardy. Kidd made the timely and decisive move to delegate Tim Hardaway Jr. outside of Dallas' rotation, despite the consequences it could entail, and it proved to be a huge wrinkle that helped Dallas beat the Timberwolves in five games.

Kidd has also done a great job at staggering the minutes between Dallas' big men with Maxi Kleber back, as Kleber and rookie Dereck Lively II will be crucial in defending Boston's floor-spacing bigs in Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis in the NBA Finals. With a completely optimized rotation as of recently and with this being the healthiest this Mavericks team has been in weeks, Dallas should be able to send Boston their full barrage come the start of the NBA Finals.

2. Mavericks completely dismantled the NBA's top defense last series

Coming hot off of a seven-game series versus the Denver Nuggets, the Minnesota Timberwolves proved that they have one of the most effective defenses in the NBA by containing Nikola Jokic as well as the the Nuggets' ebb-and-flow to their offense. The Timberwolves were also ranked first in defensive rating throughout the entirety of the regular season at 108.4, so they were in prime position to be the team that derails Dallas' offensive attack spearheaded by Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic for the first time in these playoffs.

Fortunately for the Mavericks, the amount of counters that both Irving and Doncic have as well as their ability to anticipate opposing defenses proved to be too much to handle for a young Minnesota squad, as Irving and Doncic averaged 27 points and 32.4 points on 49 percent and 47.3 percent shooting from the field respectively in their series against Minnesota.

Irving and Doncic both proved that their uncanny ability to get their spots despite whatever previous disposition they are in is something that the Mavericks can carry forward with them to the Finals, as even Boston's array of stellar point-of-attack defenders will have their hands full trying to stay with Irving and Doncic for 48 minutes. While Irving and Doncic's offensive production is a known quantity at this juncture in the playoffs, Mavericks role players will have to step up and make plays like they've done in these past three series, even if it isn't one particular role player on any given night.

The Celtics are as well equipped to stop Dallas' offensive attack as any team in the league, and they honestly are probably a worse defensive matchup for the Mavericks compared to the Timberwolves given Dallas' playstyle, especially if Porzingis can fortify their backline coming off of a calf injury. However, if Doncic and Irving can use their creativity to break traps and manipulate Boston's pick-and-roll defense, then we may very well see the Mavericks' offense churning to the same degree that it has all postseaon long.

1. Kyrie Irving has the most Finals experience in this series

This isn't Kyrie Irving's first rodeo in the NBA Finals, as Irving went to three NBA Finals with the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James in three consecutive seasons from 2015-2017. While it has been a long journey back to the grand stage for Irving, his experience will be invaluable for the Mavericks in this series, as his ability to help teammates stay the course in difficult situations as well as his leadership and poise will pay great dividends for a Mavericks team that doesn't feature any NBA Finals experience outside of Irving and veteran leader Markieff Morris.

This is of course also a huge reunion for Irving with the Celtics, as his time in Boston from 2017-2019 went less than ideal. Irving was also a mentor to now Celtics' superstars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, so seeing things come full circle for Irving is very intriguing, as he now has a chance to avenge his former team in a far better situation for himself in Dallas. We know Irving is a fiery competitor who will take these matchups personally, but he's also very even-keel, and won't let his emotions or any past drama dictate his poise and play on the court.

This will be huge for the Mavericks as Irving is the biggest vocal leader on Dallas' roster, so if he comes out with the intangibles needed to win a championship in these Finals, it wouldn't be surprising if the rest of Dallas' roster follows suit. While the Celtics have amassed a decent amount of playoffs and Finals experience themselves over the last few years, none of them have been there or done that as much as Irving has on basketball's biggest stage, so perhaps the Mavericks may have the advantage in some of the more crucial junctures of the game in their impending series with Boston.

For more on the Dallas Mavericks, Luka Doncic, and Kyrie Irving, stay tuned as we will have you covered throughout the entirety of the NBA Finals.