Basketball history is usually written by the winners, but if you actually watched the 2024 NBA Finals, you know the box scores didn't tell the whole story. The Mavericks vs Boston Celtics matchup was a collision of two completely different philosophies. On one side, you had the heliocentric brilliance of Luka Doncic. On the other, the relentless, positionless depth of a Boston squad that felt like it had no weak links.
Honestly, it wasn't even fair at times.
When the Celtics hoisted their 18th banner after that Game 5 clincher on June 17, 2024, the final tally was 4-1. A "gentleman’s sweep." But to call it a blowout series ignores the weird, high-tension subplots that made this specific pairing so fascinating for fans. We saw a "rare" injury to Kristaps Porzingis that nearly derailed the Celtics' momentum, the psychological warfare involving Kyrie Irving’s return to TD Garden, and Luka basically playing on one leg.
The Kyrie Irving Factor and the TD Garden Ghosts
You can't talk about Mavericks vs Boston Celtics without mentioning the elephant in the room. Kyrie Irving. His history with Boston is, well, complicated. After promising to re-sign with the Celtics years ago and then jumping ship for Brooklyn, he became the ultimate villain in Massachusetts.
The numbers are kinda staggering. Before the Finals even started, Kyrie had lost 10 straight games against his former team. By the time the series ended, that streak had ballooned. In the three games played at TD Garden during the Finals, Kyrie averaged a mere 14.3 points on roughly 34% shooting.
The "Luka and Kyrie" backcourt was supposed to be the most skilled duo in league history. And in the Western Conference Finals, they were. But Boston's defensive scheme was built specifically to make them uncomfortable. They didn't double-team Luka. They let him get his 30 points but stayed glued to the shooters. They forced Kyrie into tough, contested mid-rangers.
It worked.
The atmosphere in Boston was hostile. Every time Irving touched the ball, the "Kyrie Sucks" chants were deafening. While he handled it with more maturity than in previous years, his shot just didn't fall when it mattered most on the road.
Why the Celtics' Depth Broke the Mavericks' System
Luka Doncic is a basketball genius. There's no other way to put it. He finished Game 5 with 28 points and 12 rebounds, despite dealing with a thoracic contusion and a bum knee. But the Mavericks vs Boston Celtics series proved that a singular superstar, even one as transcendental as Luka, struggles against a roster where everyone from the first to the eighth man can hurt you.
Boston’s lineup was a nightmare of versatility:
- Jayson Tatum finally silenced the critics by dropping 31 points and 11 assists in the clincher.
- Jaylen Brown took home the Finals MVP because he was the most consistent two-way force, hounding Luka on one end and punishing the rim on the other.
- Jrue Holiday and Derrick White provided the kind of backcourt defense that makes offensive players want to retire early.
The Mavericks' trade-deadline acquisitions of P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford were huge for their Finals run, but against Boston, their lack of outside shooting became an issue. When the Celtics' defense collapsed on Luka’s drives, the "others" for Dallas couldn't consistently punish them from the corners.
The Porzingis "Unicorn" Impact
The most dramatic moment of the series happened off the ball. Kristaps Porzingis, the former Maverick, suffered a "torn retinaculum and posterior tibialis tendon dislocation" in Game 2. It’s a "rare" injury. Most humans can't even walk with that, let alone play professional basketball.
He missed Games 3 and 4, and you could feel the shift. Without his rim protection and "spacing" as a 7-foot-3 shooter, the Mavericks actually blew the doors off Boston in Game 4, winning 122-84. It was the third-largest margin of victory in Finals history.
But Porzingis limped back for Game 5. Even though he wasn't 100%, his mere presence changed how Dallas had to defend. It opened up lanes for Tatum and Brown. That’s the thing about the Mavericks vs Boston Celtics dynamic—it’s a game of inches and rotations.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Matchup
There’s a narrative that Dallas "choked." That's sorta lazy.
If you look at the 2024-2025 regular-season matchups and the 2024 Finals, the reality is that Boston was just a historical juggernaut. They won 64 games in the regular season for a reason. They had the best offensive rating in NBA history.
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Dallas, on the other hand, was a team that found its identity in February. They were the best defense in the league for the last two months of the season, but they ran into a team that could play five-out. When you have five shooters on the floor at all times, the Mavericks' rim-protecting bigs like Lively and Gafford are forced to come out to the perimeter.
That effectively neutralized the Mavs' biggest strength.
Actionable Insights for the Future of This Rivalry
If you’re betting on or analyzing future Mavericks vs Boston Celtics games, keep these things in mind:
- Watch the Corner Three: Boston wins when they win the "math game." If they're taking 45 threes and Dallas is taking 30, the Mavs almost have to be perfect from the field to keep up.
- Luka’s Usage Rate: When Luka has to do everything, he tires out by the fourth quarter. Dallas needs a third consistent creator to take the pressure off the "Kyrie and Luka" duo.
- The Porzingis Health Factor: KP is the X-factor. When he plays, Boston is nearly unbeatable. When he’s out, they are merely "very good," which gives teams like Dallas a puncher's chance.
- Defensive Versatility: To beat Boston, you need wings who can switch. Dallas is getting there, but they still have a size disadvantage when Jayson Tatum decides to play "bully ball" in the post.
The 2024 Finals wasn't the end of this story. With Luka still in his prime and the Celtics' core locked into long-term contracts, we’re likely looking at the new gold standard for NBA cross-conference rivalries.
To really get ahead of the curve, keep a close eye on the development of Dereck Lively II. His ability to handle the "short roll" and pass out of double teams will be the key to whether Dallas can ever truly solve the Boston puzzle. For now, the trophy stays in the North, but the gap is closing. Under Joe Mazzulla, the Celtics have a system; under Jason Kidd, the Mavericks have a heartbeat. Both are dangerous.
If you want to track the next chapter of this matchup, start by looking at the defensive tracking stats for whoever is guarding Jaylen Brown. That's usually where the game is won or lost.
Check the upcoming 2025-2026 schedule for the next time these two meet on national TV. It’s always a chess match.