Celtics Host Mavericks in Game One of the NBA Finals

The NBA Finals are officially here. The top-seeded Boston Celtics (64-18) host the Western Conference fifth-seed Dallas Mavericks (50-32) in game one on Thursday night.

MAVERICKS. CELTICS. GAME DAY.

The #NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV begin tonight with Game 1 at 8:30pm/et on ABC.

Who ya got!? pic.twitter.com/32H8VWBPTq

— NBA (@NBA) June 6, 2024

Finals Matchup

Boston advanced to its first NBA Finals since 2022 after sweeping the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics has thrived on the hardwood in recent years, but they have not won a title since defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in 2008. Boston looks to win its 18th NBA title and take the lead over the Los Angeles Lakers for the most titles of any franchise in the league. Shooting guard Jaylen Brown says that his team is experienced and ready.

The Mavericks defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games to win the Western Conference. Dallas has not made an NBA Finals appearance since winning its first title in 2011.

Dallas met Boston twice in the regular season, losing 119-110 at home on Jan. 22 and 138-110 on the road on Mar. 1.

The Celtics have the advantage of playing at home for the first two games of the series. When playing in TD Garden this year, Boston is 37-4. Dallas point guard Luka Dončić recognizes the challenge of playing in this storied venue.

Playing Former Teams

Each team in the Finals has a player with some history on the enemy lines.

Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving, now in his 13th year in the NBA, has endured a rather rocky relationship with the city of Boston. After playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, he played as a Celtic from 2017-2019 before going to the Brooklyn Nets. Irving’s relationship with Boston fans grew contentious as his tenure came to a close.

Meanwhile, Boston center Kristaps Porziņģis previously played for the Mavericks from 2019-2022 before getting traded to the Washington Wizards. He has been cleared to play for the Celtics after being out with a calf strain over the last 10 games.

his time is coming ⏳ pic.twitter.com/QTOulv4C9D

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) June 5, 2024

Gator in the Finals

In his 17th season in the NBA, Gator great Al Horford will play for the Celtics in the second Finals of his career. In his previous appearance, Boston lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games in 2022. The center looks to add his name to the exclusive list of players who have won both an NCAA and NBA title.

Game one will air on ABC on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. EST.