I would lean wolves but I feel people are underestimating just how well the mavs have been defending since the trade deadline, they look like a brand new team essentially
It’s what we’ve said for 5 years. An elite luka team needs:
Another ball handler/scorer to take some pressure off
3&D wings
Rim running defenders
Now, the perfect iteration of that imo is Anthony Davis and Paul George, two great defenders who don’t need the ball in their hands, but neither of them are available so this team will do, haha
Luka-Dwight Powell PnR was essentially the most efficient play in basketball for years…
Now Luka has centers who can dominate the air which allows him to operate in the paint cleaner than ever before
PnR D has been our biggest issue this run for sure. So that's plus points to Dallas.
On the other hand the Tims with the 2 bigs, man if KAT plays like a big we haven't got any easy answers for that either.
I'd probably put about even matchup wise.
Plus Luka hits the stupidest shots against us, if we are in a close game with them Luka could be blindfolded and still hit a 3 to win it. It's basically a superpower.
The last 13-14 games for the Mavs were mostly against the dregs of the league. The Celtics laid a massive steaming turd on the Mavs in March.
The Wolves are a tougher matchup against the Cs…both games went to OT with each team winning at home.
Not to discredit the Celtics win but I beleive that was a span of 5 or 6 games when Kidd was experimenting with lineups and defensive schemes. Quite a few of the games during that time were blowouts.
You laid a massive steaming turd on us before we put Derrick Jones Jr. and Daniel Gafford in the starting lineup and we were still tinkering with lineups and rotations.
What? The Mavs beat a healthy nuggets team, a scorching Houston team twice, Sacramento twice, a healthy Miami by 20 (they had butler, Bam and Herro that game)
And then more importantly, they’re 9-4 in the playoffs. Cmon man.
> The Mavs beat a healthy nuggets team, a scorching Houston team twice, Sacramento twice
yea but it's misleading; denver was the kyrie game winner, houston was the jabari missed FTs and PJ shot to send into OT(yes they also beat the rockets by like 40) and one of the kings games were pretty close too
My basis is the whole fucking playoffs. If the Mavs get to the Finals, they will have gone through three 50 win teams to get there. They very obviously are playing much better than whatever regular season games you’re cherry-picking
You guys are playing well…..I’d still rather face the Mavs than the Wolves. Both Irving and Doncic have had more negative than positive results against the Celtics……for that fact, so has every other player you’ve acquired.
But this recipe is ‘special’ … right? Nobody expected the clippers or Thunder to go very far in the playoffs.
I think the TWolves matchup better on paper just because of their length on the inside and perimeter defenders to give Tatum and Brown problems. I would be more worried about the Mavs though because Kyrie and Luka feel like they could steal 1 or 2 games getting hot even if the team doesn't play well.
PJ and DJJ have been great but I think McDaneils and Reid would be better on Tatum just because of height. It's more just the number of bodies the Wolves can throw at them between McDaniels, Reid, Ant, and Walker
Reid doesn't have to guard him just bother and contest which I think he would do. Again it's not about an individual matchup but just the number of guys TWolves have. If PJ gets in foul trouble for instance what do they do them?
- you named Reid as a guy they can throw at him. Throwing isn’t just contesting it’s guarding. Otherwise I can name kleber or lively too…
- the number of guys isn’t important, it’s the damn nba finals players going to play 43 minutes anyway. If pJ fouls DJJ is more than capable of taking that role too. And off the bench green or exum are decent too.
I mean PJ is 6'7", DJJ is 6'6", Green is 6'5", and Exum is 6'5". Tatum is 6'8" and long and they are going to have Porzingis who someone's going to have to guard on the perimeter as well. To me the TWolves just can match better
You have to look at weight too not just height , PJ is way bigger than mcdaniels despite the height.
Who is guarding KP on the wolves ? Gobert isn’t any better than lively on the perimeter.
I assume KAT would gaurd KP. PJ is heavier but Tatum wants to play on the perimeter. I think you need height to bother him more than being physical. If you can make him drive that's really what you want imo.
If you want to compare Jaden to PJ and say Jaden is better then sure
But don’t compare PJ to Reid, PJ is a way better defender than Reid and would most certainly give Tatum more problems
It’s also not even a logical scenario, Reid doesn’t even start
Not saying he would guard him a lot but it's someone with height who moves fairly well they could put on him for short stints just to give McDaniels a break
I mean we beat a healthy nuggets team towards the end of the season. A lot of people thought we had no chance against the wolves, granted it's still early in the series. I really think most people don't realize just how good the Mavs are. Especially if we get Kleber back.
Oh for sure. Just saying I think the Mavs are being underestimated because they only got the five seed. But the difference between 5 and 1 is very small in the West this year, especially with the Mavs making late roster changes that make them better than their place in the standings. From what I saw in game 1 of the series I think you have a good shot if you go up against the Celtics.
Mavs are definitely the clear favorite, they look unbeatable. I don't know why the Wolves are even in the conversation as they'll be lucky if they can win a single game this series. Not trying to jinx them or anything.
I don’t think so honestly. We really haven’t seen them play a team anywhere near the level of Dallas and Minnesota these playoffs. I think it’ll be a good series whoever makes it.
Mavs are the best test for the Wolves. If the wolves can beat the Mavs and overcome the dual guard offensive threats they’ll be more than prepared for the Celtics.
They already have good counters for the KP threat if he comes back.
Wolves, it usually takes Tatum a few games to figure out his drives in a series against the best of the best shot blockers. (See Milwaukee and Sixers series).
Celtics are the best equiped team to defend Dallas 1 v 1. The guards get theirs, but the rest of the water is shut off.
I don't see any sample size post-trade for the Mavs and Celtics, so it's hard to be confident. If you 1 v 1 Luka and Kyrie with the current roster, I think you're gonna have a bad time.
That was in the middle of a span of games where Kidd arbitrarily decided to stop playing Gafford after the win streak post-deadline. We lost like 4 out of 5 during that run. Dark times.
The Celtics have two all-defensive team guards, plus two very good defensive wings, and practice every day against a team hunting open 3s.
Meanwhile, in a hypothetical matchup against MIN, the Celtics have Old Al Horford, Porzingis's injured leg, and Luke Kornet.
On paper, there is no argument at all that DAL is a more difficult matchup than MIN for BOS. Even if we stipulate Luka and Kyrie are going to average 65 points per game.
We scored almost all of our points in the paint or mid range in game 1. We're not hunting open threes. If we have to get in the paint we can. We won't shoot so poorly from three very often either. Minnesota is supposedly the best defense in the West. I think you should be worried if you face the Mavs.
> Which will be a tougher matchup for Celtics: Mavs or Wolves?
Two all-defensive team guards and two above-average defensive wings versus the Mavs is a BAD MATCHUP FOR THE MAVS.
An old dude, an injured dude, and a stiff is a BAD MATCHUP AGAINST THE WOLVES.
Neither is an EASY MATCHUP. Both are good basketball teams with strengths and the ability to do different things. On paper, the Celtics matchup better against a guard heavy team than the team with twin bigs, for stated reasons.
I think you should use "we" less.
I think calling Brown and Tatum "above-average" is selling them short, especially since "above-average" is usually used to describe defenders who are not good but improved on defense (like Jokic). They are both elite defenders, especially at their positions.
Since it's match-ups : Wolves on paper. The baseline for their team makeup is more predictably challenging for the Celtics. Mavs are better than people knew and are 5 months into their new identity.
Mavs have higher offensive ceiling with great defense now. Wolves have better overall "normal" performance with a reliable top of league defense, if I can phrase it that way, and their personnel is a stylistic problem for Celtics.
Couple of things: Wolves just beat the Champs, Mavs just beat the #1 seed. Celtics have not been challenged. I still believe Celtics would be favored in either match-up but this would be their first real challenge.
TLDR; Celtics favored either way. Wolves on paper. Mavs higher ceiling. Anyone can beat anyone at this point.
Just personnel wise the Celtics counter the Mavs very well. I think the celtics would struggle much more with the Wolves size. Particularly Tatum who has struggled this postseason against athletic bigs. That and I really think Jrue Holiday and White together would do a good job defending Kyrie.
I agree, the Mavs also don't have anyone to guard Tatum and Brown. Plus, with Luka playing injured, you know that Celtics will exploit this and attack him. Especially Brown, he attacks Luka when he plays against him and despite his "improvements" he's still not good enough as a defender
I think that the health and fitness as the series progresses could change the answer here. Both teams looked very tired in game 1 and the Mavs handled that better. Their star players are also more experienced with deep playoff runs.
But Doncic is also seemingly playing hurt and if that gets worse then the Mavs become a much easier matchup.
Mavs defense was on par with the Wolves and they are competing on the boards on the back of a rookie
Just don't see anyone else matching up to Luka and Kyrie when it matters most
Although Brown is having an incredible year and looking to silence the haters
I think if you’re looking for which team checks more boxes of things that would give Boston problems, it’s Minnesota
But, I think the few boxes that the mavs check they check significantly harder
Those being pick and roll offense which Boston sucks at defending, really good Tatum AND brown defenders, those being DJJ and PJ(minny is gonna have to put KAT on one of those two, Jaden can’t guard both of them), and high end star power, I think Luka is just still on a different level than ant as a scorer and playmaker and Kyrie has been on a heater these playoffs
Im actually more inclined to say Dallas
I kinda think this is a fun thought exercise. On one hand, I think Minnesota has the bodies to be uniquely capable of defending the Celtics, but I don’t think the gap between the two teams is THAT cavernous. The mavs have had an elite level defense for months now. I do think the mavs have a much more dangerous offensive game than the wolves. I think the wolves have been shooting hot all post season but had a more middling offense all regular season. To beat the Celtics I think you need a higher offensive ceiling, and Luka and Kyrie give that so I’d go mavs. Either one though will be a great series and it’ll be a fun watch. Oh and fuck Boston.
Mavs had the number one defense over the last 20 games of the season if I remember correctly, but of course their schedule over those games was pretty easy
Definitely the Wolves. Kyrie is 0-10 vs. the C's in his last 10 games. Celtics haven't lost to the Mavs since like January 2022
Celtics are at their worst against team's that are muckers and the Wolves are mother muckers. Forcing turnovers in particular. Also, I feel like McDaniels has been the best Tatum stopper.
Mavs defensive scheme also kind of plays right into what the C's want to do, which is shoot a shit ton of wide open 3's.
You are right on the defensive but I think our defense will likely change if we match up with you. That’s one of Kidd’s skills.
Or maybe we don’t change it and let it play out like game 1 against wolves.
Yea, and tbf, the Mavs offense is much better than the Wolves. I think the Mavs are much more likely to get hot shooting the 3 and that's another way teams have had success vs. the Celtics.
In close games, I also trust Kyrie/Luka way more than Ant/KAT.
I've just seen the Wolves stifle the C's offense and haven't seen that from the Mavs, but I do know the Mavs defense just different now.
Phoenix said the same thing in 2022. "We beat Luka 10 times in a row, this series gonna be an easy sweep"
Boston fans should know as well as anyone the playoffs are completely different. Regular season means nothing.
The conclusion you think I'm drawing and the conclusion I'm drawing are 2 different things.
I don't think it would be easy vs. the Mavs and the Mavs could definitely win, but yes, I do think Minny is the tougher match-up based on the information I have to go off of.
To be fair, what else is there to base it on besides pure conjecture? That’s at least some basis for an argument. I think the take of completely writing regular season games off leaves you with nothing. And even if the regular season doesn’t mean much, it’s something.
Mavs fans are just basing their opinions on their feelings lol
PJ Washington wasn't even a plus defender a few months ago and now they're convinced he's going to clamp Tatum and Brown. DJJ's skinny as can't hang either
Yeah it’s odd how much they are hanging on the Washington trade and a bunch of end of season games against teams not playing.
Like it’s either… the playoffs, none of that matters. Or it all matters. But they should choose a lane.
At the same time, it's the Suns. They are a special kind of Playoffs chokers, I think we have to take them out of the equation when we talk about stuff like this lmao
Mavs IMO. Luke + Kyrie is a great combo, plus they actually have great defense as well. Also, Luka is better and more consistent than anyone on the Wolves. Seriously, last series was probably his worst in his playoff career and he only went 24.7/10.5/8.7. He's probably the best player left in the playoff honestly.
The Wolves rightfully have earned a share of the discourse because of how they beat Denver, but Dallas has had to go through two slugfests of their own and have learned how to win ugly as well.
On paper, its the Wolves. They have so many bodies that they can throw at the other teams best players. But sometimes, Luka and Kyrie just defy logic so its tough to tell
I could argue kyrie and luka are the 2 best closers. Kyrie has the rep but also was a top 5 clutch player by stats this year and luka has shown it in the playoffs before against good teams. He's beaten 2 #1 seeds and taken a kawhi/george team to 7 games without a co star and a pretty weak supporting cast.
I wasn't totally sold on the mavs until this playoffs but after those trades they have the pieces to get it done and he's the only top 5 player left. That historically means almost everything
And Celtics have a reputation for choking in the fourth. Just look at G1 vs Pacers which they won in ot. The game came down to who choked less. It was pitiful. Against the Mavs if it's close at the 4th, Celtics are not going to face another choking team. The Mavs will have to work hard to keep it close but with the best D in the playoffs they could pull it off
Regular season is different from the playoffs. Stakes are higher, more pressure, everyone's playing D. Haven't seen that killer instinct with Boston even with all the talent.
Agreed. Minny is a series. Dallas I'd be surprised if they won a game, honestly. Other than Luka being a Celtic-killer, that team does nothing the Celtics can't handle.
And just straight up, Kyrie Irving isn't winning a series against the Celtics for the rest of his career. Laugh at him stomping on the halfcourt logo all you want, the Garden has been a nightmare for him since he's done it.
I think the Wolves, if they play their best, are a better team but are more likely to shrink under the lights (the way the Celtics did against the Warriors) and the Mavs will be more consistent game to game. Idk who I even want to play but losing to Kyrie would make me give up the internet for a year. Become a diehard Sun fan or something.
The Wolves are a rough matchup for Boston. Minnesota has the wing defenders to slightly slow down Tatum/Brown, but Boston has no defensive answer for KAT/Gobert. KAT being able to knock down 3s and Gobert getting dunks/rebounds is what killed the Nuggets.
I’d like to think they can matchup well with the mavs because of their different perimeter defenders. But there is a chance that they have no answer for Luka.
Wolves, Boston has the personnel to guard Kyrie and Luka with 1-4 all being elite defenders. Wolves with their size and rim protection is more likely to give Brown and Tatum a harder time. Not to say that the mavs don't have that, but just less so than the wolves.
Minnesota would feast on the Celtics, on paper.
I'm just going to save this conversation in case Dallas gets past Minnesota and plays Boston. Celtics fans thinking this is 2022-2023 Mavs basketball are in for a surprise.
I like the gap in offense Mavs have over the gap in defense Wolves has, compared to each other
I also think Mavs can make Boston work on both ends more
If KP is back at a decent lvl, then neither likely has a chance, but if he isn’t then it might be interesting
As a Celtics fan, we handled the Mavs pretty handily this season, despite Luka putting up wacky stat lines. They won in DAL without KP, but that was before the deadline moves. And blew them out by 28 in Boston after the trades.
The two MIN games gave me a heart attack. I know we should have KP back, but the Wolves defense would probably really throw us off, where we don't have a problem scoring against Dallas and letting Luka get his.
If the Mavs win their series there’s gonna be revisionist history, but it’s 100% gonna be the Wolves. Wolves have more perimeter defenders that can try and limit Celtics 3 point shooting, combined with the size of their big men that would bother Porzingis when he returns.
I can’t guarantee Celtics would lose this matchup. But it is the worst matchup for them
If he does that, he surpasses Magic\\Curry as the GOAT PG.
His argument is he's a better clutch player, closer, and won with multiple franchises\\supporting casts.
This celtics team has the best net rating in the last 20 years (right next to those warriors teams).
Irving would be responsible for beating the two best teams of the 21st century.
This Celtics team is intimidating opponents into injuries (Butler, Dmitch, Hali). Which is exactly what the 2017\\18 Warriors did (Kawhi, Chris Paul).
If Irving eliminates both teams? That would be a wrap.
Wolves lol. They have fucking ant and they outsize us. We are killing indiana in the paint and our 3pt game is all over the place. Idk how we beat the wolves if we cant shoot 40%+ from 3pt range without KP. We would need KP in good health to be >50% odds.
I mean the Mavs also outsize the Celtics pretty badly. If Porzingis is out I imagine the Celtics would try going small to play the Mavs centers off the floor.
The Wolves have the defence to keep the Celtics in check and could cause Tatum to have a nightmare series
Having said that, Luka has a ridiculous track record against the Celtics with a bazillion buzzer beaters and Kyrie is 14-0 in closing out playoff series.
So I am going to have to say whichever team makes it out of the West because they would have beat the other team
Yeah even irrespective of the stat itself (“teams are good when theyve already won three games in a series? What a shock!”), it’s very funny to give a career bus-rider (besides the extremely mediocre Boston run) team stats like you would Lebron.
This dude has never been in a close-out series without Bron, KD, or Luka next to him! Something tells me that might have something to do with it!
Mavs have the # 1 defense in the league since trade deadline. Mavs have a higher defensive rating than the Wolves this playoffs. This narrative that the Mavs dont play defense is so 2022.
The closeout game stat is meaningless for 2 reasons; firstly your team has to be in a postion to close out, so if the Mavs dont win 3 games vs you guys then thats not reflected in the record and secondly Kyrie isnt the best closer, he just fucking played with Lebron for 10 of those games and now with Luka. He has like 1 playoff series win as the best player.
When the game is on the line Celtics look like deer in the headlights. Either team is going to be a threat but in different ways. Wolves will keep it close but won't finish you off as well, Mavs will have a tough time keeping it close but if they do they will win in the 4th. Either way it's going to 7.
I think Mavs - Celts would be a fun series that goes 6 or 7 and that Celts would win. Outside of the Mavs top two (who are PHENOMENAL) I think the supporting pieces aren't quite as strong as Boston.
I legitimately believe the Wolves will beat Boston in 6 unless Porzingis is 100% and cooking.
Wolves and it’s not close. Wolves defense can actually slow down the Celtics, which will give them a chance if their offense is playing well.
Mavs just don’t matchup well with Boston at all. Can’t rule out Luka taking over, but short of that, the Celtics could roll through that series with ease.
They can slow down the Celtics sure but it goes both ways . Playing double big vs Boston isn’t great they will get a lot of open 3. towns gonna be in iso on the perimeter a lot or they will have to sit one of the two towers not ideal
OK so a top defense with mid offense vs a dynamic duo with good defense? Even tho we smoked dal I would say dal. Minnesota is an excellent defensive team but so is boston and unlike den we have 5 guys who can score and 3 of them u don't know who's going to go crazy (al white or jrue). Each one of them had multiple signature playoff games for us and had struggle games. So the gameplan would be stop the Jay's and figure out which one of those 3 is gonna have that great game on that night
The Celtics biggest strength is that all x5 starters can pass, dribble and shoot at a high level. This causes a real matchup issue as you can't hide your best offensive player on defence. It also makes standard offensive tactics (doubles, blitzes, hedges etc) really difficult to implement on the Celtics.
So in light of this, I'd say the Timberwolves are a tougher matchup. They've got so many good defenders that, in theory, they could guard all x5 celtics players 1:1. The Mavs are also really good defensively, but you'd have to put together a really tight scheme to ensure that the Celtics can't easily bring Luka and Kyrie into every pick and roll.
I’d much rather play the Mavs.
Wolves are a tough matchup across the board and the intensity they bring makes our best players play worse.
Mavs have Kyrie who basically doesn’t attend games in Boston and I just don’t think they have the 3pt fire power to out score us 4 times.
Wolves no question.
Minny has the long wing defenders to throw at the Jays, two bigs to shut down Al and KP, and Ant to chase White.
KAT has been excellent on the defensive end in this run I’m honestly surprised. Ants motor is Crazy the Celtics offense hasn’t looked that convincing (could be due to their easy path so far but they don’t look like Goliath they did earlier).
If they keep going full White to either Jay P&R into iso they won’t be able to score enough vs the Minny Elite defense.
Regular season means nothing at this point. It's about which team gets hot before the playoffs start. Next is star power and experience.
This current Mavs roster has only been playing together for maybe 5 months. #1 defense since the trade deadline though.
I honestly think they dogwalk Dallas. They’ve got 4 dudes that can just switch onto luka and they won’t care. The only thing the Celtics have to figure out is how to avoid giving up the switch that luka and Kyrie will hunt for
Lol. Wild take. For 1, nobody can guard Luka. Idc who it is. He's probably the most double teamed player in the league, yet was the leading scorer in the NBA and averaged a triple double during the regular season.
Also, if you double team Luka you're just leaving Kyrie open. Or PJ or DJJ who are great 3pt shooters. Or Gafford or Lively who will eat you up at the rim.
Boston are the most capable team in the league at playing the 4v3 with lively or gafford in the short roll. I’m a lakers fan and hope to god the Celtics get fucking trounced. I don’t see it with Dallas
Both would be dangerous but the Mavs lack of great perimeter defenders and versatile big men tips it for me. Luka and Kyrie could win that series by themselves with a shooter or two stepping up though.
I just hope Boston loses people don’t need that hype train across the league and then Tatum is going to be praising Kobe all summer and trying to be just like him
Ive been keeping an eye on Celtics. I think they are clear favorites over anyone out of west- especially if they get KP back. The team is just ridiculously deep and the adage that they are playing no one in the east I think is overblown. so even if you happen to get a night where their stars are off, they have three or four other guys that can go for 20 or 25 points . They beat the Mavericks by 30 towards the end of the season. Just a very nicely constructed team.
I would lean wolves but I feel people are underestimating just how well the mavs have been defending since the trade deadline, they look like a brand new team essentially
Yup. I feel like the mavs are surprising everyone each round. Lots of great defenders, multiple ways to score on you.
It’s what we’ve said for 5 years. An elite luka team needs: Another ball handler/scorer to take some pressure off 3&D wings Rim running defenders Now, the perfect iteration of that imo is Anthony Davis and Paul George, two great defenders who don’t need the ball in their hands, but neither of them are available so this team will do, haha
Luka-Dwight Powell PnR was essentially the most efficient play in basketball for years… Now Luka has centers who can dominate the air which allows him to operate in the paint cleaner than ever before
I don’t think it’s surprising anyone who actually watched the Mavs after the trade deadline
Watched them kick our ass.
PnR D has been our biggest issue this run for sure. So that's plus points to Dallas. On the other hand the Tims with the 2 bigs, man if KAT plays like a big we haven't got any easy answers for that either. I'd probably put about even matchup wise.
if it’s celtics vs mavs, you guys will kill us from 3 and we will kill you in the paint. would be great to watch that battle
No matter who comes out of the West its going to be a banger of a series for sure.
Plus Luka hits the stupidest shots against us, if we are in a close game with them Luka could be blindfolded and still hit a 3 to win it. It's basically a superpower.
Luka making shots + Tatum dribbling around and taking 28 footers, should make for a good 4th quarter
Tatum has insane midrange but his fetish for Kobe highlights is his Rock Lee's training weights
He hasn’t won against the Celtics in years though, mavs are great but the wolves are a much tougher matchup
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which seasons do you think have more bearing on this playoffs.
The last 13-14 games for the Mavs were mostly against the dregs of the league. The Celtics laid a massive steaming turd on the Mavs in March. The Wolves are a tougher matchup against the Cs…both games went to OT with each team winning at home.
Not to discredit the Celtics win but I beleive that was a span of 5 or 6 games when Kidd was experimenting with lineups and defensive schemes. Quite a few of the games during that time were blowouts.
That was our 1-5 stretch where we had a +130 DRTG, which would have been the worst defence ever by a significant margin.
It’s the regular season that is always happening
You laid a massive steaming turd on us before we put Derrick Jones Jr. and Daniel Gafford in the starting lineup and we were still tinkering with lineups and rotations.
What? The Mavs beat a healthy nuggets team, a scorching Houston team twice, Sacramento twice, a healthy Miami by 20 (they had butler, Bam and Herro that game) And then more importantly, they’re 9-4 in the playoffs. Cmon man.
> The Mavs beat a healthy nuggets team, a scorching Houston team twice, Sacramento twice yea but it's misleading; denver was the kyrie game winner, houston was the jabari missed FTs and PJ shot to send into OT(yes they also beat the rockets by like 40) and one of the kings games were pretty close too
This dude is basing his entire potential Finals analysis on a couple of regular season games lol
This dude is basing his analysis on what? Where the fuck is your basis?
I think his basis is actually watching the mavs in the playoffs rather than checking regular season box scores
lol……ok So no bias there…….
We're all biased, that's part of the fun of sports fandom. Don't play like you're not lol
The question is ‘who would be tougher for the Celtics?’ Why would I be biased to think that the wolves would be a tougher matchup?
My basis is the whole fucking playoffs. If the Mavs get to the Finals, they will have gone through three 50 win teams to get there. They very obviously are playing much better than whatever regular season games you’re cherry-picking
You guys are playing well…..I’d still rather face the Mavs than the Wolves. Both Irving and Doncic have had more negative than positive results against the Celtics……for that fact, so has every other player you’ve acquired. But this recipe is ‘special’ … right? Nobody expected the clippers or Thunder to go very far in the playoffs.
Wolves IMO
The two games vs Boston this year were two of the most competitive games I watched all season
I think the TWolves matchup better on paper just because of their length on the inside and perimeter defenders to give Tatum and Brown problems. I would be more worried about the Mavs though because Kyrie and Luka feel like they could steal 1 or 2 games getting hot even if the team doesn't play well.
What are those perimeter defender that would give Tatum and brown more problems than PJ and DJJ ?
PJ and DJJ have been great but I think McDaneils and Reid would be better on Tatum just because of height. It's more just the number of bodies the Wolves can throw at them between McDaniels, Reid, Ant, and Walker
Reid can’t guard Tatum he would get cooked. PJ is huge and jacked too , I think he is the best Tatum defenders out of these two teams clearly.
Reid doesn't have to guard him just bother and contest which I think he would do. Again it's not about an individual matchup but just the number of guys TWolves have. If PJ gets in foul trouble for instance what do they do them?
- you named Reid as a guy they can throw at him. Throwing isn’t just contesting it’s guarding. Otherwise I can name kleber or lively too… - the number of guys isn’t important, it’s the damn nba finals players going to play 43 minutes anyway. If pJ fouls DJJ is more than capable of taking that role too. And off the bench green or exum are decent too.
I mean PJ is 6'7", DJJ is 6'6", Green is 6'5", and Exum is 6'5". Tatum is 6'8" and long and they are going to have Porzingis who someone's going to have to guard on the perimeter as well. To me the TWolves just can match better
You have to look at weight too not just height , PJ is way bigger than mcdaniels despite the height. Who is guarding KP on the wolves ? Gobert isn’t any better than lively on the perimeter.
I assume KAT would gaurd KP. PJ is heavier but Tatum wants to play on the perimeter. I think you need height to bother him more than being physical. If you can make him drive that's really what you want imo.
Pj has a bigger reach than mcdaniels and you need strength to defend on the perimeter
If you want to compare Jaden to PJ and say Jaden is better then sure But don’t compare PJ to Reid, PJ is a way better defender than Reid and would most certainly give Tatum more problems It’s also not even a logical scenario, Reid doesn’t even start
Not saying he would guard him a lot but it's someone with height who moves fairly well they could put on him for short stints just to give McDaniels a break
Watch us get swept and Celtics fans change their opinion lmao
It's all about matchups. Don't think Mavs would've beaten the Nuggets, but thought they'd beat you all even before G1.
I mean we beat a healthy nuggets team towards the end of the season. A lot of people thought we had no chance against the wolves, granted it's still early in the series. I really think most people don't realize just how good the Mavs are. Especially if we get Kleber back.
Hard to stand out in the west especially with late roster adjustments. This conference is a murderers row.
hey, there’s only 2 teams left in the West. pretty easy to see how our teams stand out from the rest
Oh for sure. Just saying I think the Mavs are being underestimated because they only got the five seed. But the difference between 5 and 1 is very small in the West this year, especially with the Mavs making late roster changes that make them better than their place in the standings. From what I saw in game 1 of the series I think you have a good shot if you go up against the Celtics.
Mavs absolutely destroyed the nuggets in the paint and on the boards in their only matchup this season
Mavs wanted the Nuggets bad. Much better matchup for us.
Neither. Celtics are the clear favorite. This going to be sooo easy for them. Not trying to jinx them or anything.
Mavs are definitely the clear favorite, they look unbeatable. I don't know why the Wolves are even in the conversation as they'll be lucky if they can win a single game this series. Not trying to jinx them or anything.
Man you’re way too humble. The wolves are clear title favorites.
Yall are all too humble. Pacers are taking this easy
come with us sir, the mental asylum is this way-
Mavs are dogshit man. Timberwolves let them get the first game to be gentlemen. They'll easily win the next four games.
Fuck Luka. Fuck Kyrie. Fuck PJ. Fuck Kidd. Fuck the Mavs. Wolves in 5
Ok Ant
Ant is the goat. Better than those bums MJ and LeBron.
Goddamn you are working HARD on the reverse jinx. Respect the hustle.
is reverse jinx possible?
Whoever comes out the west is the clear favorite. And they’re just generally more handsome and likable
Yeah I agree, I'm just happy if we make the finals. We overachieved anyway. Just don't have enough to compete with the Celtics.
I guess sarcasm is hard to detect for some people lol
Maybe his sarcasm is just more subtle
I don’t think so honestly. We really haven’t seen them play a team anywhere near the level of Dallas and Minnesota these playoffs. I think it’ll be a good series whoever makes it.
Mavs are the best test for the Wolves. If the wolves can beat the Mavs and overcome the dual guard offensive threats they’ll be more than prepared for the Celtics. They already have good counters for the KP threat if he comes back.
Our toughest matchups are: 1. The critics 2. Ourselves with a 10+ lead 3. Our opponent
Where does "team that should easily lose by 30 without their star player" fall in the power rankings?
Right above lolknicks
You forgot former Celtic great and current Maverick star….Dwight Powell.
The Magic would honestly be the toughest match-up for the Celtics
Wolves, it usually takes Tatum a few games to figure out his drives in a series against the best of the best shot blockers. (See Milwaukee and Sixers series). Celtics are the best equiped team to defend Dallas 1 v 1. The guards get theirs, but the rest of the water is shut off.
I don't see any sample size post-trade for the Mavs and Celtics, so it's hard to be confident. If you 1 v 1 Luka and Kyrie with the current roster, I think you're gonna have a bad time.
We blew yall out once in boston after the trade, but yh its just one game
The mavs lost their regular season series against the clippers, thunder and wolves so its not saying much.
Ik, hence “its just one game”
That was in the middle of a span of games where Kidd arbitrarily decided to stop playing Gafford after the win streak post-deadline. We lost like 4 out of 5 during that run. Dark times.
hey man, let em think that Al Horford and Porzingis are going to stop the Lob Goblins when Rudy and Reid can’t
Angry Kristaps lol
The Celtics have two all-defensive team guards, plus two very good defensive wings, and practice every day against a team hunting open 3s. Meanwhile, in a hypothetical matchup against MIN, the Celtics have Old Al Horford, Porzingis's injured leg, and Luke Kornet. On paper, there is no argument at all that DAL is a more difficult matchup than MIN for BOS. Even if we stipulate Luka and Kyrie are going to average 65 points per game.
We scored almost all of our points in the paint or mid range in game 1. We're not hunting open threes. If we have to get in the paint we can. We won't shoot so poorly from three very often either. Minnesota is supposedly the best defense in the West. I think you should be worried if you face the Mavs.
> Which will be a tougher matchup for Celtics: Mavs or Wolves? Two all-defensive team guards and two above-average defensive wings versus the Mavs is a BAD MATCHUP FOR THE MAVS. An old dude, an injured dude, and a stiff is a BAD MATCHUP AGAINST THE WOLVES. Neither is an EASY MATCHUP. Both are good basketball teams with strengths and the ability to do different things. On paper, the Celtics matchup better against a guard heavy team than the team with twin bigs, for stated reasons. I think you should use "we" less.
I think calling Brown and Tatum "above-average" is selling them short, especially since "above-average" is usually used to describe defenders who are not good but improved on defense (like Jokic). They are both elite defenders, especially at their positions.
Since it's match-ups : Wolves on paper. The baseline for their team makeup is more predictably challenging for the Celtics. Mavs are better than people knew and are 5 months into their new identity. Mavs have higher offensive ceiling with great defense now. Wolves have better overall "normal" performance with a reliable top of league defense, if I can phrase it that way, and their personnel is a stylistic problem for Celtics. Couple of things: Wolves just beat the Champs, Mavs just beat the #1 seed. Celtics have not been challenged. I still believe Celtics would be favored in either match-up but this would be their first real challenge. TLDR; Celtics favored either way. Wolves on paper. Mavs higher ceiling. Anyone can beat anyone at this point.
Just personnel wise the Celtics counter the Mavs very well. I think the celtics would struggle much more with the Wolves size. Particularly Tatum who has struggled this postseason against athletic bigs. That and I really think Jrue Holiday and White together would do a good job defending Kyrie.
I agree, the Mavs also don't have anyone to guard Tatum and Brown. Plus, with Luka playing injured, you know that Celtics will exploit this and attack him. Especially Brown, he attacks Luka when he plays against him and despite his "improvements" he's still not good enough as a defender
Ahhh do PJ Washington and Derrick Jones Jr not exist?
I think that the health and fitness as the series progresses could change the answer here. Both teams looked very tired in game 1 and the Mavs handled that better. Their star players are also more experienced with deep playoff runs. But Doncic is also seemingly playing hurt and if that gets worse then the Mavs become a much easier matchup.
Mavs defense was on par with the Wolves and they are competing on the boards on the back of a rookie Just don't see anyone else matching up to Luka and Kyrie when it matters most Although Brown is having an incredible year and looking to silence the haters
I think if you’re looking for which team checks more boxes of things that would give Boston problems, it’s Minnesota But, I think the few boxes that the mavs check they check significantly harder Those being pick and roll offense which Boston sucks at defending, really good Tatum AND brown defenders, those being DJJ and PJ(minny is gonna have to put KAT on one of those two, Jaden can’t guard both of them), and high end star power, I think Luka is just still on a different level than ant as a scorer and playmaker and Kyrie has been on a heater these playoffs Im actually more inclined to say Dallas
I kinda think this is a fun thought exercise. On one hand, I think Minnesota has the bodies to be uniquely capable of defending the Celtics, but I don’t think the gap between the two teams is THAT cavernous. The mavs have had an elite level defense for months now. I do think the mavs have a much more dangerous offensive game than the wolves. I think the wolves have been shooting hot all post season but had a more middling offense all regular season. To beat the Celtics I think you need a higher offensive ceiling, and Luka and Kyrie give that so I’d go mavs. Either one though will be a great series and it’ll be a fun watch. Oh and fuck Boston.
Mavs had the number one defense over the last 20 games of the season if I remember correctly, but of course their schedule over those games was pretty easy
Definitely the Wolves. Kyrie is 0-10 vs. the C's in his last 10 games. Celtics haven't lost to the Mavs since like January 2022 Celtics are at their worst against team's that are muckers and the Wolves are mother muckers. Forcing turnovers in particular. Also, I feel like McDaniels has been the best Tatum stopper. Mavs defensive scheme also kind of plays right into what the C's want to do, which is shoot a shit ton of wide open 3's.
You are right on the defensive but I think our defense will likely change if we match up with you. That’s one of Kidd’s skills. Or maybe we don’t change it and let it play out like game 1 against wolves.
Yea, and tbf, the Mavs offense is much better than the Wolves. I think the Mavs are much more likely to get hot shooting the 3 and that's another way teams have had success vs. the Celtics. In close games, I also trust Kyrie/Luka way more than Ant/KAT. I've just seen the Wolves stifle the C's offense and haven't seen that from the Mavs, but I do know the Mavs defense just different now.
Kidd is so underrated. He'd out coach the Celtics but the sub doesn't want to hear that.
Phoenix said the same thing in 2022. "We beat Luka 10 times in a row, this series gonna be an easy sweep" Boston fans should know as well as anyone the playoffs are completely different. Regular season means nothing.
The conclusion you think I'm drawing and the conclusion I'm drawing are 2 different things. I don't think it would be easy vs. the Mavs and the Mavs could definitely win, but yes, I do think Minny is the tougher match-up based on the information I have to go off of.
Yeah, lol. Trying to base predictions like this based off of regular season games is wild lol.
To be fair, what else is there to base it on besides pure conjecture? That’s at least some basis for an argument. I think the take of completely writing regular season games off leaves you with nothing. And even if the regular season doesn’t mean much, it’s something.
Mavs fans are just basing their opinions on their feelings lol PJ Washington wasn't even a plus defender a few months ago and now they're convinced he's going to clamp Tatum and Brown. DJJ's skinny as can't hang either
Yeah it’s odd how much they are hanging on the Washington trade and a bunch of end of season games against teams not playing. Like it’s either… the playoffs, none of that matters. Or it all matters. But they should choose a lane.
Phoenix also won against wolves all regular season. Look who got swept in the playoffs.
At the same time, it's the Suns. They are a special kind of Playoffs chokers, I think we have to take them out of the equation when we talk about stuff like this lmao
Mavs. Wolves were barely hanging on with Denver’s shitty offense, Celtics won’t have games where they can’t score over 70 points.
Shitty offense? Didn't they have like 3 ppg less than the Mavs?
The wolves offense hasn’t been great all season, it’s been their one issue and it showed at times in the Denver series.
Mavs IMO. Luke + Kyrie is a great combo, plus they actually have great defense as well. Also, Luka is better and more consistent than anyone on the Wolves. Seriously, last series was probably his worst in his playoff career and he only went 24.7/10.5/8.7. He's probably the best player left in the playoff honestly. The Wolves rightfully have earned a share of the discourse because of how they beat Denver, but Dallas has had to go through two slugfests of their own and have learned how to win ugly as well.
On paper, its the Wolves. They have so many bodies that they can throw at the other teams best players. But sometimes, Luka and Kyrie just defy logic so its tough to tell
If Kleber can come back that really changes things for Dallas and puts them in a position to really expose KP defensively assuming he returns.
If Porzingis is healthy then the Mavs. If not, then the Wolves.
The Celtics didn't win the series yet
I would be worried to play the team with the best player and the best closer in the playoffs. That's usually what these playoff series come down to
I’m still confused which team you’re referring to
The mavs... thought it would be obvious. Luka is clearly the best player in the remainder of the playoffs
Idk, the best closer in the playoffs part threw me off.
I could argue kyrie and luka are the 2 best closers. Kyrie has the rep but also was a top 5 clutch player by stats this year and luka has shown it in the playoffs before against good teams. He's beaten 2 #1 seeds and taken a kawhi/george team to 7 games without a co star and a pretty weak supporting cast. I wasn't totally sold on the mavs until this playoffs but after those trades they have the pieces to get it done and he's the only top 5 player left. That historically means almost everything
Let’s not forget that Luka is also the only MVP candidate still alive in the playoffs. And he was voted 3rd… no I’m not still salty about that…
And Celtics have a reputation for choking in the fourth. Just look at G1 vs Pacers which they won in ot. The game came down to who choked less. It was pitiful. Against the Mavs if it's close at the 4th, Celtics are not going to face another choking team. The Mavs will have to work hard to keep it close but with the best D in the playoffs they could pull it off Regular season is different from the playoffs. Stakes are higher, more pressure, everyone's playing D. Haven't seen that killer instinct with Boston even with all the talent.
Obviously it's Kyrie. But both him and Luka are clutch AF in the 4th. Also Kyrie is 14-0 in closeout games.
It's not yall.
Well of course it’s not, the only choices are the mavs or wolves for this question. Are you not following the post?
Okay but the Celtics can’t play themselves so I think they’re good on that front 🤔
Definitely wolves, I don't feel it's close.
Agreed. Minny is a series. Dallas I'd be surprised if they won a game, honestly. Other than Luka being a Celtic-killer, that team does nothing the Celtics can't handle. And just straight up, Kyrie Irving isn't winning a series against the Celtics for the rest of his career. Laugh at him stomping on the halfcourt logo all you want, the Garden has been a nightmare for him since he's done it.
Bookmarked this in case Dallas beats Minnesota.
I think Mavs win it all. Mavs are healthier and a much different team with the trades.
I think the Wolves, if they play their best, are a better team but are more likely to shrink under the lights (the way the Celtics did against the Warriors) and the Mavs will be more consistent game to game. Idk who I even want to play but losing to Kyrie would make me give up the internet for a year. Become a diehard Sun fan or something.
The Wolves are a rough matchup for Boston. Minnesota has the wing defenders to slightly slow down Tatum/Brown, but Boston has no defensive answer for KAT/Gobert. KAT being able to knock down 3s and Gobert getting dunks/rebounds is what killed the Nuggets.
I’d like to think they can matchup well with the mavs because of their different perimeter defenders. But there is a chance that they have no answer for Luka.
No one does, only Luka stops Luka.
If Lebron is healthy then the Mavs, if not then the Celtics
Wolves, Boston has the personnel to guard Kyrie and Luka with 1-4 all being elite defenders. Wolves with their size and rim protection is more likely to give Brown and Tatum a harder time. Not to say that the mavs don't have that, but just less so than the wolves.
Minnesota would feast on the Celtics, on paper. I'm just going to save this conversation in case Dallas gets past Minnesota and plays Boston. Celtics fans thinking this is 2022-2023 Mavs basketball are in for a surprise.
I like the gap in offense Mavs have over the gap in defense Wolves has, compared to each other I also think Mavs can make Boston work on both ends more If KP is back at a decent lvl, then neither likely has a chance, but if he isn’t then it might be interesting
As a Celtics fan, we handled the Mavs pretty handily this season, despite Luka putting up wacky stat lines. They won in DAL without KP, but that was before the deadline moves. And blew them out by 28 in Boston after the trades. The two MIN games gave me a heart attack. I know we should have KP back, but the Wolves defense would probably really throw us off, where we don't have a problem scoring against Dallas and letting Luka get his.
None. Celtics have easiest path to victory of all time. Would be a giant failure to not win
I really hope the Celtics staff underestimates djj and pj as much as the Celtics fans are.
If the Mavs win their series there’s gonna be revisionist history, but it’s 100% gonna be the Wolves. Wolves have more perimeter defenders that can try and limit Celtics 3 point shooting, combined with the size of their big men that would bother Porzingis when he returns. I can’t guarantee Celtics would lose this matchup. But it is the worst matchup for them
I just want Kyrie to hit the dagger in game 7 like for Cavs against Warriors, will be epic
If he does that, he surpasses Magic\\Curry as the GOAT PG. His argument is he's a better clutch player, closer, and won with multiple franchises\\supporting casts.
No.
This celtics team has the best net rating in the last 20 years (right next to those warriors teams). Irving would be responsible for beating the two best teams of the 21st century. This Celtics team is intimidating opponents into injuries (Butler, Dmitch, Hali). Which is exactly what the 2017\\18 Warriors did (Kawhi, Chris Paul). If Irving eliminates both teams? That would be a wrap.
Wolves lol. They have fucking ant and they outsize us. We are killing indiana in the paint and our 3pt game is all over the place. Idk how we beat the wolves if we cant shoot 40%+ from 3pt range without KP. We would need KP in good health to be >50% odds.
Mavs have a very good paint defense. You saying having Ant is an advantage compared to having Luka?
Luka is playing injured is the biggest thing imo
Ant looks injured too though, settled for lots of jumpers ever since he landed on his back in g6
I mean the Mavs also outsize the Celtics pretty badly. If Porzingis is out I imagine the Celtics would try going small to play the Mavs centers off the floor.
The Mavs luka at kyrie would feast..mavs is gonna win if the celtics advances
The Wolves have the defence to keep the Celtics in check and could cause Tatum to have a nightmare series Having said that, Luka has a ridiculous track record against the Celtics with a bazillion buzzer beaters and Kyrie is 14-0 in closing out playoff series. So I am going to have to say whichever team makes it out of the West because they would have beat the other team
[удалено]
Yeah even irrespective of the stat itself (“teams are good when theyve already won three games in a series? What a shock!”), it’s very funny to give a career bus-rider (besides the extremely mediocre Boston run) team stats like you would Lebron. This dude has never been in a close-out series without Bron, KD, or Luka next to him! Something tells me that might have something to do with it!
>Individual basketball players don't have win-loss records. It appears they do, especially in the MVP conversation.
Mavs have the # 1 defense in the league since trade deadline. Mavs have a higher defensive rating than the Wolves this playoffs. This narrative that the Mavs dont play defense is so 2022.
The closeout game stat is meaningless for 2 reasons; firstly your team has to be in a postion to close out, so if the Mavs dont win 3 games vs you guys then thats not reflected in the record and secondly Kyrie isnt the best closer, he just fucking played with Lebron for 10 of those games and now with Luka. He has like 1 playoff series win as the best player.
When the game is on the line Celtics look like deer in the headlights. Either team is going to be a threat but in different ways. Wolves will keep it close but won't finish you off as well, Mavs will have a tough time keeping it close but if they do they will win in the 4th. Either way it's going to 7.
Pretty even. Whichever is healthier by the end of the series
mavs! LD77
I think Mavs - Celts would be a fun series that goes 6 or 7 and that Celts would win. Outside of the Mavs top two (who are PHENOMENAL) I think the supporting pieces aren't quite as strong as Boston. I legitimately believe the Wolves will beat Boston in 6 unless Porzingis is 100% and cooking.
The Magic would honestly be the toughest match-up for the Celtics
Wolves and it’s not close. Wolves defense can actually slow down the Celtics, which will give them a chance if their offense is playing well. Mavs just don’t matchup well with Boston at all. Can’t rule out Luka taking over, but short of that, the Celtics could roll through that series with ease.
They can slow down the Celtics sure but it goes both ways . Playing double big vs Boston isn’t great they will get a lot of open 3. towns gonna be in iso on the perimeter a lot or they will have to sit one of the two towers not ideal
OK so a top defense with mid offense vs a dynamic duo with good defense? Even tho we smoked dal I would say dal. Minnesota is an excellent defensive team but so is boston and unlike den we have 5 guys who can score and 3 of them u don't know who's going to go crazy (al white or jrue). Each one of them had multiple signature playoff games for us and had struggle games. So the gameplan would be stop the Jay's and figure out which one of those 3 is gonna have that great game on that night
I mean technically the Mavs have had the #1 defense in the league since the trade deadline. And a higher def rating than the Wolves this post season.
Mavs
Wolves
Wolves easy. Look at our bigs - Zingis' health is a time bomb, Al is 137 years old, and when Kornet is bad he's BAD.
Every year we say Horford is a million years old, but he still brings it without a drop performance.
Ehh he looked old at the end of last year, hate to say it. *The spirit is willing but the body is spongy and bruised*
The Celtics biggest strength is that all x5 starters can pass, dribble and shoot at a high level. This causes a real matchup issue as you can't hide your best offensive player on defence. It also makes standard offensive tactics (doubles, blitzes, hedges etc) really difficult to implement on the Celtics. So in light of this, I'd say the Timberwolves are a tougher matchup. They've got so many good defenders that, in theory, they could guard all x5 celtics players 1:1. The Mavs are also really good defensively, but you'd have to put together a really tight scheme to ensure that the Celtics can't easily bring Luka and Kyrie into every pick and roll.
Now, on the other side of the court, where other half of the time is spend. I think the Mavs are better there. Matchup is on both sides.
Mavs due to PJ Curry's shooting, DJJ's Gary Payton like defence and Gafford/Lively's Hakeem impersonations.
With porzingis celtics can win the chip but without him no they cant. They dont have the paint presence to beat the wolves or mavs without him.
Close but mavs. Better PnR players which isn’t ideal for Boston + the mavs have a higher ceiling
I’d much rather play the Mavs. Wolves are a tough matchup across the board and the intensity they bring makes our best players play worse. Mavs have Kyrie who basically doesn’t attend games in Boston and I just don’t think they have the 3pt fire power to out score us 4 times.
Wolves no question. Minny has the long wing defenders to throw at the Jays, two bigs to shut down Al and KP, and Ant to chase White. KAT has been excellent on the defensive end in this run I’m honestly surprised. Ants motor is Crazy the Celtics offense hasn’t looked that convincing (could be due to their easy path so far but they don’t look like Goliath they did earlier). If they keep going full White to either Jay P&R into iso they won’t be able to score enough vs the Minny Elite defense.
Watch the games from the regular season, Wolves clearly.
Regular season means nothing at this point. It's about which team gets hot before the playoffs start. Next is star power and experience. This current Mavs roster has only been playing together for maybe 5 months. #1 defense since the trade deadline though.
In defensive rating, the Mavs are #5 SINCE THE TRADE DEADLINE. Idk why all of yall are saying Mavs were #1. This got to be some kind of Mandela effect
Both will beat them. The East is a joke compared to the west pretty much the top 5 teams in the west can beat Boston in a series
Correct, both the west teams are a bad matchup because they’re actually elite teams unlike anything the Celtics could’ve seen in the east
I honestly think they dogwalk Dallas. They’ve got 4 dudes that can just switch onto luka and they won’t care. The only thing the Celtics have to figure out is how to avoid giving up the switch that luka and Kyrie will hunt for
Lol. Wild take. For 1, nobody can guard Luka. Idc who it is. He's probably the most double teamed player in the league, yet was the leading scorer in the NBA and averaged a triple double during the regular season. Also, if you double team Luka you're just leaving Kyrie open. Or PJ or DJJ who are great 3pt shooters. Or Gafford or Lively who will eat you up at the rim.
Boston are the most capable team in the league at playing the 4v3 with lively or gafford in the short roll. I’m a lakers fan and hope to god the Celtics get fucking trounced. I don’t see it with Dallas
Both would be dangerous but the Mavs lack of great perimeter defenders and versatile big men tips it for me. Luka and Kyrie could win that series by themselves with a shooter or two stepping up though.
Wut
Bucks with a Healthy Goat Thanasis!
I just hope Boston loses people don’t need that hype train across the league and then Tatum is going to be praising Kobe all summer and trying to be just like him
Wolves. Mavs defense is focused on rim protection, boston starting five can shoot threes.
Ive been keeping an eye on Celtics. I think they are clear favorites over anyone out of west- especially if they get KP back. The team is just ridiculously deep and the adage that they are playing no one in the east I think is overblown. so even if you happen to get a night where their stars are off, they have three or four other guys that can go for 20 or 25 points . They beat the Mavericks by 30 towards the end of the season. Just a very nicely constructed team.