The time has come for the Larry O’Brien Trophy to be moved to a new location.
A new champion will be crowned in a few weeks after the Denver Nuggets were eliminated in the second round of last year’s NBA Finals.
Five things to know about this year’s NBA Finals.
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Jayson Tatum (No. 0) of the Boston Celtics is guarded by Luka Doncic (No. 77) of the Dallas Mavericks during the second half of a game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on January 22, 2024. (Tim Heitman/Getty Images)
Who’s in it?
This year’s NBA Finals will be a matchup between the Boston Celtics of the Eastern Conference and the Dallas Mavericks of the Western Conference.
Boston finished with the NBA’s best record in the regular season with a 63-19 record, while Dallas finished with a 50-32 record and was the fifth seed.
How did they get here?
The Celtics were, to say the least, comfortable throughout this playoff season. They went 12-2 in their 14 playoff games, defeating the Jimmy Butler-less, No. 8 seed Miami Heat in five games, the No. 5 seed Cleveland Cavaliers in five games and the No. 6 seed Indiana Pacers in four games.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (No. 0) plays during the second half of a game against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on January 6, 2024. (Trevor Ruszkowski – USA Today Sports)
Dallas has had a much tougher road to victory, beating the No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers and No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder in six games each, and then in the Western Conference Finals, defeating the No. 3 Minnesota Timberwolves, who had just defeated the defending champions in the second round, in five games.
What’s your schedule?
The Celtics will host Games 1 and 2 on Thursday at 8:30 pm ET and Sunday at 8:30 pm, then the series will move to Dallas to host Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 pm, with Games 5, 6 and 7 then alternating between the two venues if necessary.
Game 5 is scheduled for June 17th at 8:30 p.m., Game 6 three days later at the same time, and Game 7 is currently scheduled for June 23rd at 8 p.m.
When was the last time each team won?
The Celtics have been to the finals more recently than Dallas, reaching the finals two years ago but losing to the Golden State Warriors, but Boston’s last championship was way back in 2008. Dallas famously beat the Miami Heat in 2011, the first year of the Big Three, but hasn’t been to the finals since.
This will be Boston’s 23rd Finals appearance in franchise history. With a win, they would tie the Los Angeles Lakers for the most NBA titles with 18. Dallas is looking to win their second championship in their third appearance.
Celtics’ Kristaps Porzingis expected to be ready for NBA Finals against Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (No. 11) reacts as teammate Tim Hardaway Jr. runs up to him after making the game-winning shot to end the second half during an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, March 17, 2024 in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
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What heritage is at stake?
There are so many. The Celtics have been the team everyone expected to win championships for the last few years, but they just never got over that wall and this team is arguably the best team in this era of Celtics basketball. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis (former Mavericks star) and Al Horford are all in the running for their first championship ring.
Meanwhile, a win could also change the legends of Dallas’ two biggest stars, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, with Doncic looking for his first title and Irving, the former Celtic and now outcast in Boston, looking for his second after winning with LeBron James in 2016 with Cleveland.
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