DALLAS — In addition to airing every game of the 2024 NBA Finals on our station, WFAA is also hosting a special presentation called "The Pregame" before each and every matchup in the series. Head here for more information.
The Dallas Mavericks are headed to the NBA Finals!
It'll be the first appearance in 13 years, dating back to the 2011 run with Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas to the team's first and only championship. It's Luka Doncic's first trip to the NBA Finals in his career, doing so in his sixth season.
The opponent: Boston Celtics, who are looking to secure a record-breaking 18th championship.
This matchup will be highly entertaining with numerous storylines to watch. Here are some things to watch out for starting June 6, when the Mavericks and Celtics tip-off the NBA Finals.
Kyrie Irving returns to Boston
It's no secret there is no love lost between the Celtics fanbase and Kyrie Irving. Irving played for Boston from 2017 to 2019, but the tenure did not live up to its hype, and Irving left Boston for the Brooklyn Nets. After sweeping the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, Celtics fans were in the streets chanting "f*** Kyrie."
Celtics fans also let Irving hear their displeasure for him in the fourth quarter of a March blowout win.
Speaking with ESPN's Scott Van Pelt after the Game 5 win, Irving talked about facing his former team:
Porzingis returns to Dallas
While the Dallas fan base's feelings for Kristaps Porziņģis doesn't exactly mirror that of Boston's toward Irving, the disappointment of the production is similar. Dallas nabbed Porziņģis from the New York Knicks in 2019 to be Doncic's superstar running mate, but those hopes never came to fruition.
Porziņģis was part of two playoff runs with Dallas in 2020 and 2021, both first-round exits against the Los Angeles Clippers. Dallas traded Porziņģis in 2022 for Spencer Dinwiddie and Dāvis Bertāns, and the Mavericks went on their Western Conference Finals run with that squad, where they ultimately lost to the eventual NBA champion, Golden State Warriors.
Porziņģis has been missing during the Celtics' playoff run, but coach Joe Mazzulla confirmed in a press conference that Porzingis hasn't faced any setbacks in preparation for the NBA Finals.
"He's gotten better each day," Mazzulla said Thursday. "I know he's working hard... he's progressing well and he's working really hard to get back."
Porzingis posted on X in his native Latvian that he'll be back soon for the Finals.
The text of the post translates to "Thank you to everyone who supports and sympathizes throughout the season.I'll be back in line soon. See you in the finals ☘️ and then in the arena with your own 🇱🇻🙌," the last line in reference to playing for the Latvian national team during the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Two days before the start of the NBA Finals on Thursday, NBA insider Shams Charania reported Porzingis was expected to return for Game 1.
Luka Doncic or Jayson Tatum will win their 1st NBA title
As mentioned before, this will be Luka Doncic's first appearance in the NBA Finals. Boston's frontman, Jayson Tatum, has been to the NBA Finals once before, losing to a common foe: the 2021-2022 Golden State Warriors team that beat the Doncic-led Mavericks.
It'll be the first championship for one of the two young stars.
Celtics eyeing NBA record 18th championship
The Celtics will be fighting for the 18th championship in franchise history, a figure that would elevate that team ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers for sole possession of the title of most decorated organization in NBA history. A NBA Finals win for the Mavericks would earn Dallas its second championship in franchise history, after having won its first in 2011.
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