Before I start, I just wanted to point out how it feels like the NBA Conference Finals ended several months ago. Is the NBA still on? Man, this has been such a long gap and I hope it makes for a better Finals with key players getting rest and recovery, because if not, the wait has taken away from the buzz and the hype as far as overall fan interest is concerned. I hope we don’t see blowout games left and right like we did throughout the Playoffs.
Now back to the hype lol.
I guess majority of the US is rooting for the Mavs, which is understandable. The Celtics were expected to make it here, especially with the plethora of injuries in the East, while the Mavs are surprise attendees to this party. Who doesn’t like cheering for the underdog?
That said, will they bet on the Mavs to win it all?
Far as I’m concerned, I still favor the Celtics to win it all, but I won’t bet on it (at least not right now). With the return of Kristaps Porzingis, the Cs easily have the better starting 5, but as we’ve seen in the previous round, that bench is suspect. The Mavs have been fun to watch throughout the Playoffs and a lot of that is because of Luka Doncic’s stellar play, but the difference also has been the superb coaching by Jason Kidd and his staff in putting together the proper sets and gameplan in beating superior teams like Minnesota and OKC along the way.
Dallas matches up well with Boston. They have the length to defend the Jays, but so do the Cs on the other side. Jrue Holiday and Derrick White will be the best defensive backcourt Luka and Kyrie will have to deal with so far, and that’s why this series is so intriguing.
How healthy is Porzingis? That makes a huge difference. Dallas can abuse the Cs’ frontline as they had done systematically with previous matchups. Also, Boston will have to adjust and re-acclimate their center after playing the entire Playoffs without him, while the Mavs are peaking at the right time.
Tatum, a huge Kobe fan, will need to channel his inner Mamba for the Cs to get this chip. I’m not sold on Cs coach Joe Mazzulla either, so he will have to show out against formidable opposition in the game’s biggest stage. He won’t be coaching against injury-depleted teams and Tatum needs to outplay Luka for the Cs to compensate for Mazzulla’s vanilla coaching and their even more mediocre bench. Brown can also make a big difference if he can lock down Luka at opportune moments.
That said, I’m taking the line on Dallas for Game 1. If you can get them for +7.5, I’d take that to the bank!!!
Here’s my picks and thanks again to all of you who have subscribed and supported this page in our inaugural Playoffs run. The first parlay is for all, while the rest are premium content for paid subs. #dSourceTradamus👁
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