The Boston Celtics swept the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals to complete one-half of the 2024 NBA Finals matchup.
Fans are already looking forward to hosting the Dallas Mavericks in the Finals, as it means the return of former Celtics’ point guard Kyrie Irving. Celtics fans broke out in chants of ‘F**k Kyrie’ after beating the Pacers in Game 4.
“Fuck Kyrie” chants after the Celtics sweep to advance to the NBA Finals pic.twitter.com/jOseUDvUw6
— Bri Marie D (@BriMarieD) May 28, 2024
The Mavericks still need to beat the Timberwolves in a fourth game before advancing to the Finals, currently holding a 3-0 series lead. Nobody has ever overturned a 3-0 series lead in NBA history, so the Celtics will likely pencil in the Mavericks as their opponents for now unless we see a historic swing occur.
Kyrie Irving left the Celtics under a veil of acrimony in 2019, ending a doomed two-year spell with the franchise where he struggled with injuries and in a leadership role to players like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Despite promising Boston fans that he’d stay with the franchise ahead of his 2019 free agency, Irving left to join the Brooklyn Nets, Boston’s divisional rivals.
He joined Brooklyn alongside Kevin Durant, starting a mini-rivalry between the teams which led to two playoff matchups. The first came in 2021 when Kyrie excelled as the Nets eliminated Boston, but the 2022 first-round rematch ended in a one-sided sweep win for the Celtics.
Irving intentionally stepped and appeared to clean his shoe on the Celtics’ half-court logo, which has led to karmic retribution in the form of 10 straight defeats. If the Mavericks make the Finals, they’ll hope to overcome the cure ‘Lucky’ the mascot put on Kyrie for stepping on the logo in 2021.
The Mavericks Need To Finish Their Series
Even though a 3-0 series lead has never been overturned, it’s always premature to discuss a team up 3-0 as locks to advance to the next round. I sense the hypocrisy in that statement, as NBA history indicates they are essentially locks. But you don’t want to upset the basketball Gods by deeming the result of this series a foregone conclusion.
All three games have been razor-close and decided by clutch performances. The Mavericks are the best clutch team in the NBA, so it’s not surprising to see them close these games out especially led by Luka Doncic and Kyrie. The team will be without Dereck Lively II in Game 4, the plus-minus leader for Dallas this postseason.
Lively’s absence could open the door for the Timberwolves to steal Game 4 on the road and take the series back home for Game 5. If they could pick up a few wins, the momentum of this series could shift. But with the impending return of Maxi Kleber and the short-term absence of Lively, the Mavericks likely pull a win out of the possible four games they could be playing.
The Celtics will have 10 days off to rest and game-plan for the Mavericks, so it’s imperative that Dallas sweep their opponents to get the nine days of rest it would give them. Doncic is playing through injury while both Lively and Kleber could use a week of no basketball to get 100% ready.
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