Dallas (0-0) at Boston (0-0)
When: Thursday, June 6th 2024
Where: TD Garden,
Boston, MA
Time: 8:30 ET | TV: ABC
Opening Odds: Boston -6.5/217
After a long regular season and almost two months of playoff action, we are down to the final two teams in the NBA. The Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics meet in Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday night at TD Garden in Boston, Mas. It’s no surprise that Boston has reached this far, but the Mavericks are a bit of a surprise. However, Dallas has played very well this postseason and are most deserving out of the West. For Game 1, the NBA Finals odds have the Celtics as -6.5 home favorite with a total of 215.
As for series odds, the Celtics are -225 favorites to win with Dallas at +180. A Boston sweep is priced at +500, a 4-1 series win is +300, 4-2 is +350, and a seven-game series resulting in a Boston win, would pay +450. Obviously, the take back on Dallas would be more profitable. A sweep would be an incredible +2500, a 4-1 win is +1500, a six-game victory is priced at +400, and a series that goes the distance is +600.
Boston won both matchups during the regular season with the most recent being a 138-110 Celtics win on March 1. The Celtics are looking for their 18th championship and first since 2008. Many of the players on the current roster lost to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 Finals. Dallas hasn’t won since 2011 when Jason Kidd played for them. He is now the head coach.
DALLAS MAVERICKS
Dallas got through a gauntlet of teams in the West that included the L.A. Clippers, OKC Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Mavericks have also been a force on the road, going 8-2 SU so far this postseason. The defense has been key. Of all the playoff teams that have played at least 10 games, Dallas is fourth with a very good 103.9 points against per game. Rookie Dereck Lively II is proving to be a perfect fit for this team and is having a solid postseason. The backcourt of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic can rival anyone in the league.
BOSTON CELTICS
Boston’s journey to the NBA Finals was much easier, in that they beat teams that were down at least one or two star players. Still, the Celtics are the best team in the East and will be really tested for the first time. Big man Kristaps Porzingis is healthy again and expected to play Thursday. Jrue Holiday and Derrick White are terrific defensive players to go along with a strong offense. Jayson Tatum (26.0 points) and Jaylen Brown (25.0 points) lead the way and have been great in the playoffs thus far.
Prediction:
The Celtics should be the favorites in this series and in Game 1, but not by this much. Dallas is a really good team and have been battle tested throughout this postseason, more so than Boston. The Mavs not only were great on the road during the regular season, but it’s carried over to the postseason. I can see a tight series opener, so give me the points.
Check out who Bobby Babowski has on his Free NBA Picks page for today.
