Let’s hear it if you’re headed to your first NBA Finals.
THE LINEUP 🏀
What’s inside today’s edition?
Dallas Wins West: The Mavs win the West Finals in five games to reach their 3rd NBA Finals
Unstoppable Duo: Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving each posted 36 pts and 5 ast in the clincher
1st Quarter KO: Luka’s 20 points and a 17-1 run put Dallas up for good in the first 12 minutes
First Look: With the Celtics-Mavs matchup set, check out some key storylines
Finals Facts: Dive into the Finals record book before the Mavs and Cs try to add their names to it
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Last night’s score & NBA Finals preview.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals tips off on Thursday, June 6 (8:30 ET, ABC) from TD Garden in Boston. Check out the full schedule in Section 5.
1. MAVS ROLL TO FIRST FINALS SINCE 2011
After their Game 4 loss at home, Mavs stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving both put the blame on themselves for failing to clinch the Western Conference Finals.
- 🗣 Luka: “That game’s on me. I just didn’t give enough energy.”
- 🗣 Kyrie: “A lot of this is on me. I had spurts, we had spurts, but I’ve got to put a full 48 minutes of a game together.”
In Game 5 on the road, the two stars left no doubt that the Mavs were winning the West and headed to the Finals to meet the Celtics.
Doncic and Irving combined for 72 points to lead Dallas to a 124-103 win over Minnesota, clinching the Mavs third Finals appearance in franchise history and the first since their 2011 championship. | Recap
- 🗣 Kyrie On Making His Fourth Finals: “I don’t take this moment for granted at all. It took me 7 long years.”
- 🗣 Luka On Making His First Finals: “Means a lot, it’s not easy …very hard, but we are here. Obviously we’re not done. We need four more but I think today we all deserve to enjoy this win.”
Luka Wins West Finals MVP: Luka began his night outscoring the Wolves in the 1st quarter by himself, 20-19. He ended his night collecting his first Magic Johnson Trophy as Western Conference Finals MVP.
- Luka’s all-around game was on full display this series: scoring (32.4 ppg), rebounding (9.6 rpg), and playmaking (8.2 apg)
- Here’s the list of players to hit those marks or better in a Conference Finals: Luka Doncic, LeBron James (2018) and Oscar Robertson (1963)
- Elite (& Familiar) Company: Luka became the fifth player in the last 60 years to lead his team in total pts/reb/ast heading into the Finals, joining LeBron (2012-15), Nikola Jokic (2023), Tim Duncan (2003) and Mavs coach Jason Kidd (2002)
- 🗣 An ‘Amazing’ Night: Walk off the court with Luka after he clinched his first trip to the Finals
Kyrie Bounces Back: After scoring just 16 points and seeing his undefeated record in closeout games come to an end in Game 4, Irving responded with the highest-scoring series-clinching performance of his career with 36 points.
- Big Finish: Kyrie had four points on 2-of-6 shooting in the 1st quarter (while Luka was red-hot), then scored 32 on 12-of-21 shooting over the final three quarters
Lively Back: After missing Game 4 due to a neck strain, Dereck Lively II picked up where he left off, scoring with historic efficiency while adding rebounding, playmaking and defense.
- No Misses: Lively finished the series shooting a perfect 16-of-16 in four games, setting a new NBA record for the highest field goal percentage in a Playoff series (min. 4 FGM per game)
Wolves’ Run Ends: Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns scored 28 apiece, but it was not enough to extend their season and force a Game 6. The Wolves returned to the West Finals for the first time in 20 years.
2. UNSTOPPABLE DUO
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving pour in 36 points apiece to guide Dallas to its 1st appearance in the NBA Finals since 2011.
One trend held true over the course of the Western Conference Finals – the star duo that combined for the most points won every game.
In the Game 5 series finale, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving each scored 36 to combine for 72 points, while Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns each scored 28 to combine for 56.
How special was this Game 5 performance from the Mavs duo?
- First In 23 Years: Luka and Kyrie became the first pair of teammates to each score 35+ points in a Conference Finals game since Shaq and Kobe in 2001
- Second Duo Ever: Game 5 was the third time that Luka and Kyrie each scored 30+ points in the same game this series, joining Jerry West and Elgin Baylor (1962 & 1966) as the only teammates to do so in NBA history
The numbers themselves are incredible, but the fact that they came against the league’s top-ranked defense takes it to another level.
- Pick Your Poison: Luka and Kyrie individually can put a defense in a quandary as they both command double teams to stop them from scoring, but are both skilled and selfless enough to make the right play and rack up assists when the doubles come
- In addition to each scoring 36 points in Game 5, both had five assists. For the series, they combined for 59.4 ppg and 12.8 apg
- The only duo to score more was their next opponent – Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown (60.1 ppg) – but the Jays fell 3.5 apg shy of matching Luka and Kyrie
3. 1ST-QUARTER KNOCKOUT
Luka Doncic outscores the Timberwolves’ entire roster in the 1st quarter, and the Mavericks advance to the NBA Finals.
Through the first four games, the 1st quarter had been the worst quarter of the West Finals for the Mavs. They trailed after the first 12 minutes three times and were minus-14 for the series.
The Mavs didn’t have to recover from a slow start in Game 5.
Fueled by Luka’s 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting with four 3s, the Mavs won the opening quarter 35-19. Watch Luka’s 20-point outburst uncut
- 🗣 Kidd on Luka’s 1st Quarter: “He let his teammates know that it’s time and they’ve got to take it up a notch. He sent the invites out, and they all came.”
Luka hit four of Dallas’ first five buckets as the Mavs jumped out to a 14-6 lead in the game’s first three minutes. The Wolves responded with a 12-4 run to tie the game on a Rudy Gobert three-point play with 5:43 left.
It was the final tie of the game.
The Mavs closed the opening quarter on a 17-1 run that the Wolves were never able to recover from. Dallas led by 16 after the end of the 1st quarter and never had their lead cut below 15 points the rest of the game.
- The Mavs improved to 8-1 during the Playoffs and 30-9 this season when winning the 1st quarter. They are 4-4 in the Playoffs and 24-27 on the season when tied or trailing after the 1st
Luka 🤝 Legends: Doncic joined LeBron James (2018 East Finals and 2023 West Finals) as the only players to score 20+ points in the first quarter of a Conference Finals game in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98).
- During his 1st quarter run, Luka passed Dirk Nowitzki (149) for second in Playoff 3s in Mavs history. Luka finished the series with 155 for his career, just 12 shy of Jason Terry’s team record
No Drop Off: Luka added five more points in the 2nd quarter (25 total), while Kyrie got cooking with 15 in the 2nd (19 total) as the duo outscored the Wolves by themselves 44-40 in the 1st half and the Mavs led 69-40.
4. FIRST LOOK AT THE 2024 NBA FINALS
And just like that, the NBA Finals is set.
The Mavs are four wins shy of just their second championship in franchise history.
The Celtics are seeking an unprecedented 18th title, which would break a tie with the Lakers for the most all-time.
The Stakes: Boston boasts more banners, but neither team has raised the Larry O’Brien Trophy in over 10 years – so let’s refresh on what a ring would mean for each franchise.
- Boston’s Break: A championship for the Cs would snap their second-longest title drought in franchise history. It’s been 16 years since they last cut down the nets in 2008 – which ended a 22-year drought dating back to 1986
- Recent Finals: Despite having a 17-5 record in their past 22 Finals appearances, the Celtics have gone 0-2 in their last two trips, losing to the Warriors in 2022 and the Lakers in 2010
- Dallas’ Third Dance: The Mavs haven’t been to the Finals since defeating the Heat in 2011, which avenged their Finals loss to Miami in 2006 – their first appearance on the big stage
- Chasing History: Dallas could become the first No. 5 seed in NBA history to win a title, and they are just the second No. 5 seed to make the Finals, joining the 2020 Heat
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Luka Doncic & Kyrie Irving will be on display in the 2024 NBA Finals. Who will prevail?
Resembling Recipes: This year marked the Celtics’ sixth ECF appearance in eight years and the Mavs’ second WCF appearance in three years – and they’ve been knocking on the door using similar styles.
- Dynamic Duos: Both teams have a pair of multi-time All-Stars averaging over 50+ combined points this postseason in Dallas’ Kyrie Irving (22.8 ppg) – who spent two seasons with Boston (2017-19) – and Luka Doncic (28.8), and Boston’s Jayson Tatum (26.0) and Jaylen Brown (25.0)
- 3 Party: The Celtics finished the regular season with the most 3-pointers made (1,351) in the NBA, while the Mavs knocked down the third-most (1,197). The ranking has flipped in the postseason, with Dallas first (214) and Boston third (205)
- Clutch: Both teams have excelled in crunch time this postseason, as Boston has gone 4-0 in clutch games, while Dallas has gone 6-3 in a Playoff-high nine clutch games
Past 🤝 Present: Both teams hope to follow in the footsteps of past champions who have donned their uniforms and appreciate the opportunity heading into Thursday’s Game 1.
- Celtics: Boston enters the Finals on a seven-game win streak, tied for the longest Playoff win streak in franchise history with their 1986 squad, which won the title
- Mavericks: Dallas coach Jason Kidd was a member of the Mavs 2011 title team, which also won the WCF in five games
- 🗣️ Tatum On The Finals: “It’s special … you don’t take it for granted.”
- 🗣️ Irving On The Finals: “Enjoy the moment … realize how hard you worked to get here … nothing is guaranteed in this league.”
5. FINALS FACTS & SCHEDULE
For the sixth straight season, we will have a new NBA champion – see how far the past six Finals winners made it the following season …
- 2022-23: Denver ➡️ West Semifinals
- 2021-22: Golden State ➡️ West Semifinals
- 2020-21: Milwaukee ➡️ East Semifinals
- 2019-20: L.A. Lakers ➡️ West First Round
- 2018-19: Toronto ➡️ East Semifinals
- 2017-18: Golden State ➡️ NBA Finals
Celtics and Mavericks Finals Appearances and Championships
- Boston: 23rd appearance (2nd-most ever)
- Dallas: 3rd appearance (Tied-15th)
- Boston: 17 championships (T-1st)
- Dallas: 1 championship (T-12th)
Finals vs. Playoffs: Best-Of-Seven Series Scenarios (Entering 2024 Postseason)
- Game 1 Winner: Teams that win Game 1 in the Playoffs win the series 75.3% of the time, but that percentage drops to 70.1% in the Finals
- Game 1 Home Winner: Teams that win Game 1 in the Playoffs at home win the series 84.7% of the time, but that percentage drops to 78.0% in the Finals
- Game 1 Away Winner: Teams that win Game 1 in the Playoffs on the road win the series 51.5% of the time, but that percentage drops to 44.4% in the Finals
- Game 3 Tiebreakers: Teams that win Game 3 of a 1-1 Playoff series win the series 73.7% of the time, and that percentage increases to 80.5% in the Finals
- Game 5 Tiebreakers: Teams that win Game 5 of a 2-2 Playoff series win the series 81.7% of the time, but that percentage drops to 74.2% in the Finals
- Game 7s: Home teams win Game 7 of a Playoff series 75.0% of the time, and that percentage increases to 78.9% in the Finals (15-4)
Finals Single Game Records
- Most Points: Elgin Baylor – 61 (1962)
- Most Assists: Magic Johnson – 21 (1984)
- Most Rebounds: Bill Russell – 40 (1960 & 1962)
- Most 3s Made: Stephen Curry – 9 (2018)
- Most FTs Made: Dwyane Wade – 21 (2006)
- Most Blocks: Dwight Howard – 9 (2009)
- Most Steals: Robert Horry – 7 (1995)