NBA Finals Preview

June holds a special place in the hearts of NBA fans: its arrival comes in tandem with the biggest stage in basketball. After three epic rounds of postseason play, we’ve reached the Finals — the ultimate testing ground where today’s stars can add their names to the list of all-time greats. Carry your team to even one championship, and your initials are etched into NBA history 🏆

• This year’s matchup features one team whom most expected to be here, and one team that has shocked the world

• There’s too many storylines to count in this matchup, highlighted by Kyrie Irving’s return to Boston and Porzingis’ return to Dallas

• Boston’s status as the prohibitive favorite (-225) breaks a surprisingly long inter-conference streak

After all, the Celtics are the squad that has been here before and looked like the best team in basketball all season. You’d be hard-pressed to find a core that’s made more lengthy postseason runs without getting over the hump than these Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown-led Boston teams. It’s this very fact that’s causing many not to trust them in this spot 👇

• Boston has reached the ultimate point of put up or shut up — this Finals almost certainly represents the core’s best chance to prove the doubters wrong

• Tatum and Brown dominated their regular season meetings vs. Dallas this year, but the Finals are of course a different beast ☘️

While Boston’s stars will ultimately decide the affair, it’s clear that this is the best supporting cast they’ve ever possessed. Two-way studs Jrue Holiday and Derrick White feel like they could have been created in a lab as ideal defenders for the slippery Kyrie Irving. Behind their defensive prowess and Tatum and Brown’s ability to physically match Luka Doncic, the Celtics have a variety of stellar options to at least make life difficult for Dallas’ star duo 🔒

• The wild card for Boston will be 7’3 Kristaps Porzingis, who has been sidelined since Game 4 of the First Round with a calf strain

• KP has had plenty of time to rest up — if he’s anywhere near full health upon his confirmed Game 1 return, he adds an entirely new dynamic to the Celtics on both sides of the ball 🦄

While Boston deserves its status as the favorite here, I don’t think any Celtics fan is feeling too confident about dealing with Luka Doncic. There’s an age-old saying in the NBA that the team with the best player tends to win the series, and Luka is indisputably the best player in this one (and quite possibly the world). He just put together likely the finest series of his young career vs. Minnesota 🔥

• Despite struggling with injuries throughout the first two playoff rounds, Luka is nevertheless lapping the rest of the league with his historically dominant stats. We’re truly watching an all-time great at the peak of his powers

However, Luka has been a force to be reckoned with ever since he entered the league. The difference this year has been Kyrie Irving, who has given him perhaps the best co-star in the league and vaulted them into best backcourt of all-time conversations. The Mavs (+188 title odds) have surrounded this absurdly talented offensive duo with a group of elite three-and-d role players 🔥

• Dallas nailed the draft with their selection of Dereck Lively, a bouncy big man who sees the floor far better than his 20 years of age suggest

• The front office complemented this success with another home run at the trade deadline, landing another quality big in Daniel Gafford and versatile wing PJ Washington

• But at the end of the day, when your stars are performing at this level the rest is just icing on the cake

Mavs vs Celtics Betting Preview (subject to change)

• Spread: Celtics -6.5

• Moneyline: Celtics -250, Mavs +205

• Over/Under: 214.5

• When: 8:30PM EST on ABC

Trivia Question: If Luka wins Finals MVP at 25, he’ll be the youngest player to take home the award since…?

For My Parlay Gurus

While this looks to be a highly competitive series, I like the Celtics to strike first with a statement win at home. Boston has been waiting for this moment ever since their 2022 choke vs Golden State, and I think they’ll come out hot behind a motivated Jayson Tatum performance after all the slander thrown his way 😤

• Celtics -6.5 vs Mavs: -106

• Jayson Tatum OVER 27.5 Points: -104

$100 on this bet would win you $205 — if we hit, make sure you email [email protected] for a chance to win an Overtime hoodie*. Many will enter, only some will win 😉

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Trivia Answer: Luka would be the youngest winner since Kawhi Leonard in 2014, who took home the award at the ripe age of 22

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