The Dallas Mavericks are officially the Western Conference Champions following their Game 5 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals, and now they'll battle the Boston Celtics later this week in the NBA Finals.
The countdown to Thursday night has begun, and Mavs fans can't wait to see their team back in the Finals for the first time since 2011.
One of the main storylines going into this series is how Kyrie Irving and Kristaps Porzingis are battling their former teams, and getting to watch Luka Doncic play at this level for the first time in his career is going to be a sight to see.
Fans got to watch a fully healthy Doncic in the Timberwolves series, and a week of rest before the Celtics series is going to help everyone's health.
The clutch will undoubtedly decide Mavericks-Celtics NBA Finals series
All eyes will be on Doncic and Irving in this series, and with Boston and Dallas being the two hottest teams in the NBA, one stat could decide who wins this series.
The clutch is the most important part of the game, and both the Mavs and Celtics happen to be elite in this area. Dallas was the No. 2 clutch team in the NBA by winning percentage during the regular season while the Celtics were the No. 4 team.
During the playoffs, the Mavs have been the No. 3 clutch team while the Celtics have been the No. 1 team. Boston has won all four of their clutch games in the playoffs. Both Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are great closers, but Dallas has two closers of their own.
Both Doncic and Irving dominate in the clutch, and they show up when their teams need them most. Irving has always been one to flip the switch in the fourth quarter, and Doncic lives for the big moments. He showed that earlier in the playoffs when he hit a game-winning 3-pointer over Rudy Gobert, and he and Irving's chemistry late in games could make the difference in this series.
With both teams having such great clutch winning percentages, this could be the one area that decides this series. Outside of Dallas' Game 1 losses to the LA Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder, all of their games have been close.
Their ability to close out close games has been a big reason for their playoff success, and playing in close games against the Celtics will be the ultimate test.
For all the latest on Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the Dallas Mavericks throughout the 2024 NBA Finals, stay tuned.
