The 2024 NBA Finals are here. It’s the Boston Celtics against the Dallas Mavericks for this year’s title. The Celtics swept the sixth-seeded Indiana Pacers to win the East, before the Mavericks eliminated the third-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in five games. Either the Celtics or Mavs will win their first title in more than 10 years, and the full NBA Finals schedule is set.
Game 1 is slated for Thursday, June 6, and this year’s NBA Finals could run through Sunday, June 23. After a pair of quick conference finals, NBA fans wlll have gone six days without playoff basketball before the Finals tip off in Boston.
The Celtics, who won 64 games in the regular season, will have home-court advantage against the Mavs. Dallas did not have home-court advantage in any series in these playoffs as the West’s No. 5 seed.
The Mavs knocked out the fourth-seeded Clippers, the top-seeded Thunder and third-seeded Wolves to win the West. The Celtics are 12-2 so far in these playoffs and knocked out the Heat, Cavaliers and Pacers to win the East for the second time in three years. Boston lost in six games to the Golden State Warriors in 2022.
“It’s a lot that myself, and we, can learn from that experience being in the Finals, and this time, this go-around is a lot different,” Celtics star Jayson Tatum said about his second trip to the Finals. “Obviously, we’ve been there before, we came up short. And a great opportunity to make it to the Finals again. You don’t always get a second chance, so really just looking at it as a second chance and trying to simplify things as much as we can.”
Every 2024 NBA Finals game will air on ABC and will be streaming on fubo (try for free). Check out the full NBA Finals schedule below.
2024 NBA Finals schedule
Game 1
Thursday, June 6: Celtics vs. Mavericks, ABC/fubo
Game 2
Sunday, June 9: Celtics vs. Mavericks, ABC/fubo
Game 3
Wednesday, June 12: Mavericks vs. Celtics, ABC/fubo
Game 4
Friday, June 14: Mavericks vs. Celtics, ABC/fubo
Game 5*
Monday, June 17: Celtics vs. Mavericks, ABC/fubo
Game 6*
Thursday, June 20: Mavericks vs. Celtics, ABC/fubo
Game 7*
Sunday, June 23: Celtics vs. Mavericks, ABC/fubo
The Mavericks won their first and only championship in 2011 as Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas to the title 13 years ago. It was also their last appearance in the NBA Finals.
The Celtics have won 17 championships in their franchise history, but they actually have a longer title drought than the Mavs. Boston’s last NBA title came in 2008. The Celtics — who fell in the conference finals to the Heat last season — last made the NBA Finals in 2022, but they lost against the Warriors in six games.
2024 NBA Finals odds
- Celtics: -230
- Mavericks: +180
Game 1 pick, prediction
I’m going Dallas across the board in Game 1. Until I have visual evidence that Kristaps Porzingis is healthy and able to move as well as he did defensively during the regular season, I just view him as a target for Luka Doncic to hunt in pick-and-roll. Immobile big men have no chance against him, and on an injured calf, Porzingis would be a constant switch target. Boston hasn’t lost a road game yet this postseason, but the Celtics have looked surprisingly vulnerable at home, losing games to the Heat and Cavaliers and coming close in Game 1 against the Pacers. Worst-case scenario, the Mavericks haven’t lost by seven or more points since Game 1 against the Thunder. With the points, I feel relatively safe. The Pick: Mavericks +6.5
— Sam Quinn
