Game 1
Expected Boston to win. In game 2, they're probably not going to be nearly as hot from 3 and Porzingis is most likely not gonna go crazy. But they didn't allow any lobs or corner 3s (when the game mattered) so their defense is what impressed me the most by holding Dallas to a very small number of assists. However, Kyrie is probably going to be much better and they almost blew a 29 point lead. No answer for Luka either. I think Dallas wins on Sunday.
Game 2
Still picking Dallas to win the series. They've been great defensively the 1st 2 games. All they need is a good Kyrie game which hasn't happened yet. However, Boston's defense limited them again in terms of lobs and corner 3s which has to change for the Mavs to win. I think Dallas' crowd will propel them to fix the aforementioned issues. But Tatum is due for a big game and since Boston has a much better roster, Dallas might be in trouble.
Game 3
Even if Dallas wins game 4 (I don't think so), Boston will be crowned in game 5. The Mavs still couldn't win despite Kyrie playing great. Barring a drastic change, Brown should unanimously win MVP. The Celtics are a better team by a significant margin. When 1 of the Jays is struggling, they usually get the necessary support which is the opposite for Dallas' stars, especially in this series. Hardaway Jr not being his normal self due to an injury before the playoffs is finally catching up to them because they desperately need another reliable individual shot creator. 2019 was the last time the west produced a back to back conference champion and I'm sure that'll continue next year if the Mavs don't make the necessary upgrades.
Game 4
It probably won't matter since Boston is most likely going to win game 5, but a flaw they have is that they rarely run pick n' rolls, don't have anyone who consistently gets deep position in the post to score or draw fouls (Porzingis is much more of a no dribble, turnaround shooter in the post), don't have an elite passer, or a tier 1 scorer (Tatum has been too inconsistent during this postseason). So they rely heavily on beating their man off the dribble and chucking a ton of 3s. And when a great defense like Dallas does a good job of limiting blow bys, a team like the Celtics can struggle big time like tonight.
Game 5
Boston has a great chance to repeat. They have 2 top 20 players no older than 27 and 3 borderline all star level players who aren't nearing retirement based on their production and mobility. The Celtics defense is the main reason they won, particularly in this series vs Kyrie. Their 6 best players combined are so good on both sides of the ball. Boston is unselfish offensively and understands how valuable being a high volume 3 point shooting team is. And the crazy part is that they won without Porzingis doing much in the playoffs.
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You likely wont agree with everything and that's ok because nobody agrees with every opinion, regardless of the subject. Just know that I tried my best to be objective as possible.