NBA Playoffs 2023/24, NBA Finals, Game 2, Monday, 10.06.2024
What a great game I was able to enjoy at the start of these NBA Finals 2024. I made a note of what to look out for in order to place a winning Celtics Mavericks bet for Game 2.
There could be an almost identical rematch of the opening game on Monday, according to which Luka Doncic is causing a sensation again, but he can’t quite keep up with the C’s long-range shooters
He came, saw and won! The Boston Celtics won the opening game of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks thanks in part to the help of Kristaps Porzingis.
At home, the top team of the regular season asserted itself with a clear 107:89, much to the delight of the fans in their home TD Garden. The Latvian’s comeback after his long injury break was particularly impressive.
Meanwhile, Luka Doncic was largely left to his own devices for the Mavericks. Although the Slovenian broke the 30-point barrier again in these playoffs, he didn’t get much support from his teammates this time.
An important insight from Game 1 is that the Celtics were able to successfully assert themselves in the same discipline in which the Mavs also excel – and how!
The teams with the most three-point attempts in the regular season meet in the NBA Finals: the Celtics led with 47% of all shots from behind the three-point line, followed by the Mavericks with 44%.
Boston continued this strategy unperturbed in the opening game and even hit over 50% of its distance shots.
Watch out: This has proven to be a promising recipe so far for Joe Mazzulla’s team, as it has won 35 of 39 games this season in which more than every second shot was a three-pointer.
The Celtics therefore made far more of their shots from outside than the Mavs.
As in a battle from the Napoleonic era around 1805, the advantage of having better “artillery” than the opponent could also decide the fate of the 2024 NBA Finals.
This is because Dallas was unable to create open shots for its three-point specialists, who have shone so brilliantly in the playoffs so far. That can quickly lead to disaster against a team like Boston
Doncic and Irving accounted for most of the Mavs’ threes (17 of 29), and they mainly came from isolation situations.
The other players, such as P.J. Washington, Derrick Jones Jr, Maxi Kleber and Josh Green, had little opportunity to shoot from downtown as they were rarely open.
One important observation: the Celtics did not double Doncic, instead using different defenders, led by Brown, who pressured him heavily.
As a result, Doncic was sometimes able to get into the zone, but the passes into the corners that lead to open three-point shots were missing.
It’s important to note that the Celtics had significantly more time to prepare before the first game and are more experienced overall.
For most of the Mavericks, on the other hand, it was their first time in a final, so nervousness and excitement are understandable.
A defeat in the first game on foreign soil is also nothing unusual for Dallas.
As for the initially bumpy offense: sometimes you have to make do with what the defense allows.
Boston deliberately allowed Doncic one-on-one situations, similar to how Dallas kept the zone heavily occupied during the playoffs to force opponents to score from the outside.
Doncic made good use of this tactic, scoring 30 points on 50 percent shooting. If he scores even more consistently, 40 or more points could even be possible.
Therefore, betting on the Slovenian at providers such as Bet365 could be worthwhile from a purely betting point of view.
However, this will probably only be enough for Dallas to win if Irving also makes his contribution and supports the superstar more than he did in Game 1.
While Doncic lived up to expectations, Irving, who is also extremely talented, only scored 12 points against his former team
Conclusion: In my opinion, there are various promising betting scenarios on offer on Monday.
Doncic could conjure up another 30 to 35 points on the board without the Mavs winning in the end. The Celtics’ successful game plan from Game 1 could be used again in the next game.
I also expect the Whites to take a 2:0 lead because they are much more adept at positioning their shooters for potential threes.
If this continues, you’ll be able to redeem your free bets for the European Championship sooner than you’d like.
Because the finals could be decided before the start of Euro 2024.
My Celtics Mavericks tip: BOS wins with handicap -7
