After approving and signing him, the NBA
Who is winning the Boston Celtics vs. Dallas Mavericks head-to-head series this season?
Let’s look back at the season series before we go on to Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks.
The Boston Celtics are in for a catastrophic series when the two best backcourt tandems square off in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night at TD Garden. There have only been two encounters between the two finalists this season, and the Celtics might win the Larry O’Brien Trophy an incredible 18 times if historical results are any guide.
The first meeting happened in January.
Around the time of the games, the Mavericks started to turn things around, but the Celtics prevailed in both the home and road series. Played following the New Year’s holiday.This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise considering that the Celtics finished the regular season as the best team and only lost 18 games.
Playing their second game of a back-to-back series, Boston had defeated the Houston Rockets the night before. The Celtics beat the Mavs 119-110 in Dallas, despite Luka Doncic’s 33-point triple double and Kyrie Irving’s additional 23 points.
The superstar backcourt of Boston, consisting of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, was too strong for Dallas’ defense, which had not yet undergone its midseason makeover and was therefore a considerably more resilient squad guarding their rim. With 39 points and 11 rebounds, Tatum topped all scorers. Brown added 34 points, and together they shot 24/43 from the field.
The game was competitive in the first quarter, but the Celtics took the lead and maintained it for the next three quarters, putting the Mavs behind the breaks. Boston would go on to win 15 of their next 17 games and increase their lead over the other teams in the East standings as the Mavericks continued to struggle in the West.
During the run of 15 games in 17, one of those wins was at TD Garden against the Dallas Mavericks. The All-Star Game had been a week ago, and Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington had just signed with the Mavs. The two midway games weren’t enough to overcome the Boston Celtics, even though those trades would have a big impact later in the season.
Dallas has changed over the years.
During Doncic’s amazing 37-point triple-double effort against Boston, Kyrie remained silent, but Jayson Tatum received plenty of help from his supporting cast. In addition to Jaylen Brown’s 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists, and Kristaps Porzingis’ game-high 24 points, Tatum finished with 32 points and 8 rebounds.
Despite losing a lead in the fourth quarter, the Celtics won the game easily.They easily trounced the Mavs 138-110 to win their ninth straight game, handing them their first setback in three games.
Dallas won 15 of their final 19 games to end the season after going down three games in a row. This is not the same team that the Celtics played in January or even March. Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington are now vital members of the squad, while Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic seem to be clicking more than ever.Will it be enough to overcome the tough Boston Celtics?
