The NBA playoffs have been very exciting to watch so far, but the competition is getting close to the end.

In the Conference Finals, the Boston Celtics easily won against the Indiana Pacers, while the Dallas Mavericks are on their way to winning against the Minnesota Timberwolves without dropping a single game. The score is currently 3 – 0 in their favor and unless a miracle occurs, the Playoffs Finals will be played between the Celtics and the Mavericks.

This situation is quite surprising given that the Mavericks finished the regular season in 5^th place. However, given the qualities of their players, there’s a good chance that the playoff Finals will be a tough battle to win for both sides. The betting odds of this NBA match will no doubt reflect the Celtics’ superiority, but the Mavericks should not be underestimated.

Boston Celtics’ Path To The Playoffs Final

The Celtics had a very good season in the Eastern Conference. Perhaps not as good as they would have liked, but they certainly won’t be disappointed with their stats.

Being the best in your conference is never easy and this race wasn’t even close. Boston Celtics finished with a record of 64 W – 18 L while the 2^nd team, New York Knicks, had a record of 50 W – 32 L.

To put things in perspective, last season the winning team was Milwaukee Bucks and their score was 58 W – 24 L.

In the playoffs, the Celtics had a very dominant performance. In the First Round, Miami Heat managed to win a single game against them and the score was 4 – 1.

The second match was identical to the first. This time, it was the Cleveland Cavaliers’ turn to get smashed to pieces. The Cavaliers played well in the second game and were not far from winning the fourth one. But overall, the skill difference between the two teams was huge.

In the Conference Finals, Boston Celtics encountered Indiana Pacers, who finished the regular season in 6^th place but found themselves winning against the Bucks (3^rd place) and the Knicks (2^nd place) during the playoffs. When they had to play against the Celtics, however, they just couldn’t keep up with them.

The scores were very close in game 1, game 3, and game 4. But the final score was still 4 – 0 for the Celtics. With this victory, they advance to the Playoffs Finals and should be regarded as the favorite. But not by much, because the Mavericks also proved to be quite strong at the moment.

Dallas Mavericks’ Path To The Playoffs Final

Dallas Mavericks finished the regular season of the Western Conference in 5^th place. However, the difference between them and the number 1 team, Oklahoma City Thunder, was small. Oklahoma had 57 wins and 25 losses, while Dallas had 50 wins and 32 losses.

What’s interesting about the Mavericks’ performance is that they had identical home and away scores: 25 W – 16 L. Their home performance was not as good as they would have liked, but their away performance was very impressive.

In the playoffs, the Mavericks started with a match against the LA Clippers, in which they struggled quite a bit. They lost game 1 97 – 109 and didn’t make a good impression. But in game 2, they finished 3 points ahead of their opponents: 96 – 93.

Then came two away games. They won the first, largely thanks to the momentum gathered in their previous game, but lost the second. The fate of the series was decided in the next two games and it was obvious that the Mavericks had completely figured out the strategy of the Clippers. The scores were 123 – 93 and 101 – 114.

In the second match of the playoffs, the Mavericks had to face Oklahoma City Thunder, the number 1 team in the Western Conference at the end of the regular season. And once again, they lost game at a big difference: 95 – 117. But, just as before, they learned quickly and by the end of game 3, they were in the lead.

The series was decided in the 5^th and 6^th games and Dallas Mavericks won in a very dramatic way, with a score of 116 – 117 in game 6.

The Western Conference Finals match is currently being played but the Mavericks already have a 3 – 0 lead, so their victory is almost guaranteed.

After such a successful run, their confidence is likely very high, which will help them against the Celtics.  

By Chris Bates