Beau will be visiting soon. In the meantime, here’s how our panel of writers saw the finale going (before the series started):
Celtics in six. The Mavericks have the star power, but the Celtics are the better all-around team. Dallas’ defensive shift doesn’t match Boston’s offensive style as well as it does against the teams they’ve knocked off in the West. Dončić’s sprained right knee is also major. Give him long enough, and Dončić can solve any defense. But is there a solution for the most athletic, smartest, switchable group in the league? And if Dončić is delayed at all due to injury, the Celtics defense will close any possible openings. To get this to six or seven games, Dallas will have to make an unusual amount of contested shots. Irving and Dončić can make it happen, but they need at least two other shooters to step up. Oliver Connolly
Mavericks in seven. Conventional wisdom says the Celtics, who have been the best team in basketball all year, should win the championship. But conventional wisdom has never come face to face with Dončić over time. The Mavericks are firing on all cylinders, their role players are up to the challenge, and dealing with Irving on top of Dončić is a handful to say the least. Claire de Lune
Celtics in four. Boston has been the best team in the league all season. And while the Mavericks’ defense has reinvented itself since the deadline, they have never faced an offensive monster like the Celtics. Tatum and Brown are there, with Dončić and Irving as the elite defensive tandem. But Boston’s superior, if not deeper, supporting cast, which has been together longer, can get it from anywhere and doesn’t have a weak link in the defense, will make the difference if Luka and co run out of pixie dust. Bryan Graham
Mavericks in seven. The Celtics are the better, more experienced team. But their nasty habit of playing with their food leaves the door open long enough for Dončić to dazzle and Irving to get sweet revenge. Their Mavericks supporting cast, also a few shades greener than the C’s, continues to emerge behind Washington and Gafford. It’s a fun series that ends in Boston tears, a few memes and, perhaps down the road, a roster reset surrounding Tatum. Andreas Laurens
