It's down to the last two teams with the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks meeting in the 2024 NBA Finals with Game 1 on Thursday, June 6 at 8:30 p.m. from T.D. Garden.
Many predicted and prognosticated the Celtics getting to the Finals following a league-best 64-18 record in the regular season.
Boston held up its end of the bargain and has yet to slow down this postseason, winning 12 of 14 games with no series going beyond Game 5 so far.
GAME 1 PREDICTION:Celtics vs. Mavericks in Game 1: Spread, total and prediction
Meanwhile, the Mavericks have been much more battle tested, as they've pulled off the upset as the lower seed in each series, including taking down the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals in six games.
Will the Celtics win an NBA record 18th Larry O'Brien trophy or can the Mavericks pull off the upset and claim their second title in franchise history?
Here are the betting odds, our picks and prediction on who will win the NBA championship and Finals MVP:
2024 NBA Finals: What are the odds for the series heading into Game 1?
With tip-off rapidly approaching, the oddsmakers have stayed keen on keeping the Celtics as favorites to win the title.
As of Wednesday morning, Boston's a consensus -220 (Bet $220 to win $100) to be victorious in the Finals.
The cheapest price you could find for the Celtics right now on sportsbooks in New Jersey is at -210 (Bet $210 to win $200) on DraftKings Sportsbook.
On the other hand, the Mavericks have +180 (Bet $100 to win $180) consensus odds to pull off the upset.
Those looking to wager in the Garden State on Dallas to emerge victorious in this series can be wagered at +190 (Bet $100 to win $190) on bet365.
What are the betting favorites for 2024 NBA Finals MVP?
Jayson Tatum: +100
Luka Doncic: +210
Jaylen Brown: 7/1
Kyrie Irving: 22/1
Derrick White: 40/1
Kristaps Porzingis: 60/1
Jrue Holiday: 100/1
Out of the two teams, there's seven combined players that the sportsbooks realistically see taking home Finals MVP.
After Holiday at 100/1, the next closest player on the board is P.J. Washington at a whopping 500/1 odds.
As the oddsmakers' see Boston with the advantage in this series, it shouldn't come as a surprise that five of the seven players listed above (Tatum, Brown, White, Porzingis and Holiday) are on the Celtics with Doncic and Irving being the lone exceptions.
Celtics vs. Mavericks: Who will win the title, Finals MVP?
This is truly a fascinating matchup of two of the best duos in the NBA with Tatum and Brown vs. Doncic and Irving.
These four, elite playmakers have each put on a show during these playoffs to get their team's to the spot now to win a championship.
So you may be asking yourself, what's the difference maker here? It's one word
Depth.
Yes, Kyrie and Luka have displayed some of the best basketball we've seen from a backcourt in quite some time, including each of them scoring 36 points in the Game 5 closeout winner in Minnesota to win the West.
Although, having the extra pieces flanking the dynamic duo of Tatum and Brown like a White or Holiday, who can either step up and score when needed or get a stop defensively is to me the biggest difference here.
Heck, even a 38-year-old Al Horford has had two 20+ point performances over the last two rounds, including a playoff-high 23 points in a 114-111 victory over the Pacers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Then you add in the fact that Boston's gaining more depth with Kristaps Porzingis, the former No. 4 overall pick by the Knicks in the 2015 NBA Draft, expected to make his return to the Celtics' lineup for Game 1 after missing the previous two series with a calf injury.
There's no denying that Irving and Doncic have been sensational, leading Dallas to its first title appearance in 13 years.
While I anticipate the Mavericks will no doubt give Boston its hardest challenge of the postseason, it won't be enough as the Celtics take the crown, surpassing the Lakers with a 18th Larry O'Brien trophy, winning the NBA Finals in six games.
With the confetti raining down, it'll be Brown, not the heavy odds-on-favorite Tatum, who takes home the Bill Russell award, aka NBA Finals MVP, currently at 7/1 (+700) on FanDuel Sportsbook.
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