On Thursday, the Dallas Mavericks will take on the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on the road in hostile territory at TD Garden, with Luka Doncic and company labeled the heavy underdogs to come out on top in this seven-game series for the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Although the Mavericks are considered the underdogs heading into the Finals against a very talented Celtics team, Dallas has had a knack for proving their doubters wrong throughout the regular season and during the NBA playoffs up to this point.
Coming into the Western Conference Finals, the Mavericks were considered underdogs against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who defeated the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets in the second round in seven games.
Despite many believing the Timberwolves were the better all-around team in the Western Conference Finals, the Mavericks put on a show from start to finish, dispatching Minnesota in five games to advance to the Finals.
Even though the Celtics may be considered the better team as this series gets underway on Thursday, Doncic is arguably the best player in the Finals, as Vince Goodwill of Yahoo Sports makes clear on The Jim Rome Show.
“There is no doubt in my mind that Luka Doncic is the best player in this series,” Goodwill said.
“There is no doubt in my mind that Luka Doncic is the best player in this series.” @VinceGoodwill on the best player in the NBA Finals series. pic.twitter.com/rs9jtPJECu
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) June 4, 2024
That distinction can obviously change if Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown turns it on in the Finals or Mavericks teammate Kyrie Irving elevates his game to another level, as he’s done in the past.
However, as of right now, Doncic is the cream of the crop in the Finals and will need to play his best basketball in order to lead his team to a title.
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