2024 NBA FINALS: #1 Boston Celtics vs #5 Dallas Mavericks (Game 1: Thursday June 6th)

[titlebound1]

I'm not talking about Luka, I'm talking about the Mavs.

In the OKC series Kyrie struggled. Luka will get his numbers but unless he gets help the Mavs won't win.

Mavs vs OKC:
Offrtg: 112
Defrtg: 111.8
Netrtg: 0.2

If the Mavs play like this against Boston, they will get swept and Boston has by far a better defense than the Thunder.

You were literally talking about how Nembhard was literally superhuman, and Luka would not have done better in his shoes...

It's honestly hilarious seeing these guys act like the Celtics are 2004 Pistons level defense, then turn around and bring up Andrew **** Nembhard torching their supposed GOAT defense as some sort of dig against Luka lmfao I need to stay out of this thread until Thursday.

I mean it was the pacers style of play that gave them problems in general. They have one of the most efficient offenses that I've seen in a long time. I suspect that a lot of guys could have stepped into Nembhard's shoes within that system

[Capn'O]

How is this game still two days away? Talk about a momentum killer...

Boston fans - are there at least Yankees Suck chants going on citywide in preparation?

[Bob8]

How is this game still two days away? Talk about a momentum killer...

Not for Celtics fans, they're already at 3:0 for Celtics.

[Bob8]

You were literally talking about how Nembhard was literally superhuman, and Luka would not have done better in his shoes...

It's honestly hilarious seeing these guys act like the Celtics are 2004 Pistons level defense, then turn around and bring up Andrew **** Nembhard torching their supposed GOAT defense as some sort of dig against Luka lmfao I need to stay out of this thread until Thursday.

I mean it was the pacers style of play that gave them problems in general. They have one of the most efficient offenses that I've seen in a long time. I suspect that a lot of guys could have stepped into Nembhard's shoes within that system

21 points is really something difficult to achieve, you need special system to do it.

[Castle Black]

My condolences Celtics fans. Tony Brothers and Scott Foster about to go ham. Luka might average 20 FT’s a game

Read on Twitter

[dygaction]

It's funny how a lot of people seem to think the Celtics are gonna sweap the Mavs and that this Mavs team is the same they blew away in the regular season...seems like most people think that Pacers are better than Mavs...the same Pacers that barely beat an injury depleted Knicks team

The Celtics are the favorites and should win but they're gonna have to prove it on the court...nobody(except for Shaq who had Mavs winning the title at the begining of the season) had Mavs in the finals,yet despite being the underdog every series ,they got to the finals rather convincigly...pressureis on the Celtics...if they fail it will be considered another Lost season and once more there will be talk about trading Brown...Dallas won't go down without a fight, the series should be tight

Luka lost to the Suns three years in a row, 7 games losing streak in the regular season 2020-2022.
In 2022 playoffs, they lost to Suns 0:2 to start. When everyone was talking about sweep, the Mavs came back 4:1 with that classic game 7.

The Suns that year was also #1 in the league, winning 64 regular season games.

[bigfoot_cryptozoology]

I fully expect several fatalities among the Mavs before their gut-wrenched straggling remains make it back to Dallas...
No one survives the Celtics unleashing their Giant Venomous Flying Spiders Of Death Defense.



Don't say I didn't warn you...

[dc]

It's honestly hilarious seeing these guys act like the Celtics are 2004 Pistons level defense, then turn around and bring up Andrew **** Nembhard torching their supposed GOAT defense as some sort of dig against Luka lmfao I need to stay out of this thread until Thursday.

I think most people understand this series is about the other end of the floor; it's what the Mavs D can do to slow down the Celts offense. I expect Luka and Kyrie to be able to score just as they have in other series leading up to this.

Mavs have been good defensively ever since they figured out how to integrate the guys they traded for. The issue people point out is they've been able to cheat off certain guys in their first 3 rounds of the playoffs. It was certainly very good coaching/game planning on the Mavs part.

It's just going to be much harder to do that against a Celts team that basically doesn't trot out any guys you can give the Tony Allen treatment to.

[Bob8]

It's honestly hilarious seeing these guys act like the Celtics are 2004 Pistons level defense, then turn around and bring up Andrew **** Nembhard torching their supposed GOAT defense as some sort of dig against Luka lmfao I need to stay out of this thread until Thursday.

I think most people understand this series is about the other end of the floor; it's what the Mavs D can do to slow down the Celts offense. I expect Luka and Kyrie to be able to score just as they have in other series leading up to this.

Mavs have been good defensively ever since they figured out how to integrate the guys they traded for. The issue people point out is they've been able to cheat off certain guys in their first 3 rounds of the playoffs. It was certainly very good coaching/game planning on the Mavs part.

It's just going to be much harder to do that against a Celts team that basically doesn't trot out any guys you can give the Tony Allen treatment to.

Were Celtics so greatly defended in previous series that they're shooting worse than Mavs for 3 in playoffs?

[sunsbg]

It's funny how a lot of people seem to think the Celtics are gonna sweap the Mavs and that this Mavs team is the same they blew away in the regular season...seems like most people think that Pacers are better than Mavs...the same Pacers that barely beat an injury depleted Knicks team

The Celtics are the favorites and should win but they're gonna have to prove it on the court...nobody(except for Shaq who had Mavs winning the title at the begining of the season) had Mavs in the finals,yet despite being the underdog every series ,they got to the finals rather convincigly...pressureis on the Celtics...if they fail it will be considered another Lost season and once more there will be talk about trading Brown...Dallas won't go down without a fight, the series should be tight

Luka lost to the Suns three years in a row, 7 games losing streak in the regular season 2020-2022.
In 2022 playoffs, they lost to Suns 0:2 to start. When everyone was talking about sweep, the Mavs came back 4:1 with that classic game 7.

The Suns that year was also #1 in the league, winning 64 regular season games.

Read Horford just turned 38. Everything aligns very well for another Mavs upset.

[MrGoat]

I don't think I'm going to place any bets on this series but it's still fun to think of what bets I would place if I was going to.

If I was to place bets I would like the overs in this series. I think Dallas needs a defensive adjustment from their last three series if they want to win, daring Boston to shoot too many threes and abandoning the paint isn't the answer here. I don't think Boston has the right personnel to deal with Luka either, too many perimeter defenders and not enough thugs. Luka eats elite perimeter defenders for breakfast, you have to thug it up with him and hope the refs have a loose whistle

[SK21209]

It's honestly hilarious seeing these guys act like the Celtics are 2004 Pistons level defense, then turn around and bring up Andrew **** Nembhard torching their supposed GOAT defense as some sort of dig against Luka lmfao I need to stay out of this thread until Thursday.

I think most people understand this series is about the other end of the floor; it's what the Mavs D can do to slow down the Celts offense. I expect Luka and Kyrie to be able to score just as they have in other series leading up to this.

Mavs have been good defensively ever since they figured out how to integrate the guys they traded for. The issue people point out is they've been able to cheat off certain guys in their first 3 rounds of the playoffs. It was certainly very good coaching/game planning on the Mavs part.

It's just going to be much harder to do that against a Celts team that basically doesn't trot out any guys you can give the Tony Allen treatment to.

Yup, that's the series. Can the Mavs gum up the Celtics 5-out halfcourt offense enough in 4/7 games. The Celtics are great defensively and better suited to guard the Mavs than the Wolves, but there's only so much you can do against Luka and Kyrie. But if the Mavs can maintain some rim protection despite the Celtics' 5-out and force the Celtics into those stagnant, settling for semi-contested threes stretches they have a real shot.

[dygaction]

It's honestly hilarious seeing these guys act like the Celtics are 2004 Pistons level defense, then turn around and bring up Andrew **** Nembhard torching their supposed GOAT defense as some sort of dig against Luka lmfao I need to stay out of this thread until Thursday.

I think most people understand this series is about the other end of the floor; it's what the Mavs D can do to slow down the Celts offense. I expect Luka and Kyrie to be able to score just as they have in other series leading up to this.

Mavs have been good defensively ever since they figured out how to integrate the guys they traded for. The issue people point out is they've been able to cheat off certain guys in their first 3 rounds of the playoffs. It was certainly very good coaching/game planning on the Mavs part.

It's just going to be much harder to do that against a Celts team that basically doesn't trot out any guys you can give the Tony Allen treatment to.

Were Celtics so greatly defended in previous series that they're shooting worse than Mavs for 3 in playoffs?

Tatum shoots 29% at 7.1 3PA. He would have by far the highest pressure due to last Finals' performance and now Brown just got the Bird Award. Mavs should try to challenge him to shoot first before he demonstrates his mental toughness and regain shooting touch. If I am Kidd, I will try to corner him and play the mental game.

[brackdan70]

It's funny how a lot of people seem to think the Celtics are gonna sweap the Mavs and that this Mavs team is the same they blew away in the regular season...seems like most people think that Pacers are better than Mavs...the same Pacers that barely beat an injury depleted Knicks team

The Celtics are the favorites and should win but they're gonna have to prove it on the court...nobody(except for Shaq who had Mavs winning the title at the begining of the season) had Mavs in the finals,yet despite being the underdog every series ,they got to the finals rather convincigly...pressureis on the Celtics...if they fail it will be considered another Lost season and once more there will be talk about trading Brown...Dallas won't go down without a fight, the series should be tight

Luka lost to the Suns three years in a row, 7 games losing streak in the regular season 2020-2022.
In 2022 playoffs, they lost to Suns 0:2 to start. When everyone was talking about sweep, the Mavs came back 4:1 with that classic game 7.

The Suns that year was also #1 in the league, winning 64 regular season games.

Read Horford just turned 38. Everything aligns very well for another Mavs upset.

These comments all lack any logic. Maybe that’s by design lol.
A lot of people calling for a sweep? Most people think the Pacers are better than the Mavs?

[sam_I_am]

[instagram][/instagram]

You were literally talking about how Nembhard was literally superhuman, and Luka would not have done better in his shoes...

It's honestly hilarious seeing these guys act like the Celtics are 2004 Pistons level defense, then turn around and bring up Andrew **** Nembhard torching their supposed GOAT defense as some sort of dig against Luka lmfao I need to stay out of this thread until Thursday.

I mean it was the pacers style of play that gave them problems in general. They have one of the most efficient offenses that I've seen in a long time. I suspect that a lot of guys could have stepped into Nembhard's shoes within that system

Nembhard was the Pacers’ 4th option in games 1 and 2. Their 5th option, TJ McConnell averaged as much as PJ Washington in the playoffs in nearly half the minutes. Who on Dallas after their top 2 stars do the Celtics have to worry about hitting 3s, getting to the rim and creating for others the way Nembhard did? Or the way McConnell did?

On the flip side, who on Minnesota did Dallas have to worry about hitting 3s, driving and creating for others after Edwards? The Celtics have 4 guys who do that at a high level (not counting Porzingas.). Dallas proved they could stop 1 guy in all 3 series and except in the few games Leonard played they never had to stop 2. Can their defense handle 4-5 scorers? I think that is a bigger question waiting to be answered.

[Celts17Pride]

It's funny how a lot of people seem to think the Celtics are gonna sweap the Mavs and that this Mavs team is the same they blew away in the regular season...seems like most people think that Pacers are better than Mavs...the same Pacers that barely beat an injury depleted Knicks team

The Celtics are the favorites and should win but they're gonna have to prove it on the court...nobody(except for Shaq who had Mavs winning the title at the begining of the season) had Mavs in the finals,yet despite being the underdog every series ,they got to the finals rather convincigly...pressureis on the Celtics...if they fail it will be considered another Lost season and once more there will be talk about trading Brown...Dallas won't go down without a fight, the series should be tight

Luka lost to the Suns three years in a row, 7 games losing streak in the regular season 2020-2022.
In 2022 playoffs, they lost to Suns 0:2 to start. When everyone was talking about sweep, the Mavs came back 4:1 with that classic game 7.

The Suns that year was also #1 in the league, winning 64 regular season games.

Read Horford just turned 38. Everything aligns very well for another Mavs upset.

Al Horford is 9-1 as a starting center in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

[sunsbg]

Luka lost to the Suns three years in a row, 7 games losing streak in the regular season 2020-2022.
In 2022 playoffs, they lost to Suns 0:2 to start. When everyone was talking about sweep, the Mavs came back 4:1 with that classic game 7.

The Suns that year was also #1 in the league, winning 64 regular season games.

Read Horford just turned 38. Everything aligns very well for another Mavs upset.

Al Horford is 9-1 as a starting center in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

CP3 fell off a cliff on his 37th birthday. Horford on his 38th. Big guys take a little bit longer.

[bisme37]

I don't think I'm going to place any bets on this series but it's still fun to think of what bets I would place if I was going to.

If I was to place bets I would like the overs in this series. I think Dallas needs a defensive adjustment from their last three series if they want to win, daring Boston to shoot too many threes and abandoning the paint isn't the answer here. I don't think Boston has the right personnel to deal with Luka either, too many perimeter defenders and not enough thugs. Luka eats elite perimeter defenders for breakfast, you have to thug it up with him and hope the refs have a loose whistle

I'm not a gambler but if I thought the Mavs were winning this series I'd be very tempted to put some money down. Mavs in 7 has the same exact betting odds as Celtics in 4.

Read on Twitter

[bisme37]

Opinions are wildly mixed on this series as far as I can tell.

Vegas has the Celtics as heavy favorites.
This thread has it about even.
There's a poll on the main RGM wiretap page that has Dallas winning comfortably.
And I just fast forwarded through NBA Today and they spent a half hour on how Kyrie Irving is the most gifted basketball player in the history of Earth, then a half hour on how Lebron is rooting for Kyrie, then 30 seconds on Kristaps Porzingis is playing in the Finals and the Celtics are heavy betting favorites despite no one on ESPN understanding why.

Shrug.

[Bob8]

[instagram][/instagram]

It's honestly hilarious seeing these guys act like the Celtics are 2004 Pistons level defense, then turn around and bring up Andrew **** Nembhard torching their supposed GOAT defense as some sort of dig against Luka lmfao I need to stay out of this thread until Thursday.

I mean it was the pacers style of play that gave them problems in general. They have one of the most efficient offenses that I've seen in a long time. I suspect that a lot of guys could have stepped into Nembhard's shoes within that system

Nembhard was the Pacers’ 4th option in games 1 and 2. Their 5th option, TJ McConnell averaged as much as PJ Washington in the playoffs in nearly half the minutes. Who on Dallas after their top 2 stars do the Celtics have to worry about hitting 3s, getting to the rim and creating for others the way Nembhard did? Or the way McConnell did?

On the flip side, who on Minnesota did Dallas have to worry about hitting 3s, driving and creating for others after Edwards? The Celtics have 4 guys who do that at a high level (not counting Porzingas.). Dallas proved they could stop 1 guy in all 3 series and except in the few games Leonard played they never had to stop 2. Can their defense handle 4-5 scorers? I think that is a bigger question waiting to be answered.

Wolves were + 36 in 3s in game 1, Mcdaniels 6/9, Mavs won. Naz was shooting 7/9 in game 2, Mavs won. It's not exactly true that Wolves role players didn't hit anything. Mavs were good in stopping Ant and Kat, their role players were mostly very solid, now their priority will be Tatum and Brown. And I'm sure some of other players will go off, you can't stop everyone and everything in modern Nba. If you can stop stars, you're normally in good position, if your stars do their job. And it's Finals, that might have some influence on shooting % too. Pressure on Celtics is for sure much bigger than on Mavs. Beating your opponents just by shooting 3s might be more difficult than we imagine from the couch.

But if Celtics shoot 50% for 3, it will be blowout. Luckily for Mavs that still count for only 1 win.