The Boston Celtics are favored (-220) to win the NBA title over the Dallas Mavericks (+184) with the NBA Finals kicking off tonight in Boston. The Celtics are favored even though many would argue that the Mavericks will have the two best players in the series in Luke Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Naturally, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will have an opportunity to dispute those claims.
The Celtics are favored for a number of reasons. Many believe that they have a deeper and more well-rounded team, with two All-Stars in Tatum and Brown. They also have a strong defense, home court advantage, and more experience. Sometimes, the best way to prepare to win the Finals is to have been through that experience and lost.
Kristaps Porzingis’ health is a wild card. His absense hasn’t hurt the Celtics thus far in the playoffs, but now the competition gets much tougher.
Which brings us to Luka and Kyrie. Luka is one of the best players in the world and can single-handedly take over games for the Mavericks. Meanwhile, Kyrie is one of the greatest ball handlers and clutch scorers in NBA history. Sure, he’s a flake, but in Dallas he’s been on his best behavior. Luka seems to bring out peak Kyrie, and that could be a real problem for the Celtics. This two-headed monster is similar to the LeBron/Kyrie combo that took down the Warriors by overcming a 3-1 series deficit.
This should end upbeing a great series. It’s hard to resist betting the underdog that has two generational talents.
