Poll: Mavericks vs. Celtics Series Predictions

[angryguy77]

So in your opinion, did JT/JB/DW/JH all lose their playoff experience? I keeps seeing this "they haven't been tested" line thrown around and the only way that makes sense is if players have their exp levels started over at the beginning of a new season. The 2022 playoff road they took was much harder than what dallas had to take this year.

I wish people would stop overrating this run the mavs had. They faces a gimpy Kawhi, baby OKC team, and a not ready yet Ant. Yes it was still tougher road than we had, but it's not like they beat prime Jordan 3 times in a row.
Yes mavs have a chance, but these teams are not even by any stretch. We should win, and if not, it will be colossal failure on the part of our core guys.

The T-Wolves beat the defending champs.  And Dallas beat them handily.  I still think the Celtics will win, but Dallas has had a tougher path, and Dallas will be our strongest playoff opponent by quite a margin.
[/quote]

Team A beating team B doesn't matter much to the match up of team A and team C.

Wolves, Nuggets and Boston are all different teams. Boston plays a different style to the wolves which means the Mavs will have to use a different scheme.

[Who]

Tim Legler saying BOS is the favourite but that Vegas odds are overstating things and underestimating how good this Dallas team is. He believes this could be one of the best most competitive Finals series we've had in the last 20-25 years.

[celticinorlando]

Tim Legler saying BOS is the favourite but that Vegas odds are overstating things and underestimating how good this Dallas team is. He believes this could be one of the best most competitive Finals series we've had in the last 20-25 years.

I would expect him to say that. The games are on the network that employs him.

Any time you see the media go out of its way to pump up one team they are worried about people tuning in.

It well could be a great series. Probably 6 games.

[BudweiserCeltic]

Tim Legler saying BOS is the favourite but that Vegas odds are overstating things and underestimating how good this Dallas team is. He believes this could be one of the best most competitive Finals series we've had in the last 20-25 years.

I would expect him to say that. The games are on the network that employs him.

Any time you see the media go out of its way to pump up one team they are worried about people tuning in.

It well could be a great series. Probably 6 games.

Legler has historically been quite honest with his takes, plus he's always been on Celtics' sides of things more often than not. He's not wrong about his appreciation for Dallas, particularly after the trade deadline.

That said, not sure about it being the most competitive in 25 years. But there's plenty there for this to be a competitive one. We'll see.

[celticinorlando]

Tim Legler saying BOS is the favourite but that Vegas odds are overstating things and underestimating how good this Dallas team is. He believes this could be one of the best most competitive Finals series we've had in the last 20-25 years.

I would expect him to say that. The games are on the network that employs him.

Any time you see the media go out of its way to pump up one team they are worried about people tuning in.

It well could be a great series. Probably 6 games.

Legler has historically been quite honest with his takes, plus he's always been on Celtics' sides of things more often than not. He's not wrong about his appreciation for Dallas, particularly after the trade deadline.

That said, not sure about it being the most competitive in 25 years. But there's plenty there for this to be a competitive one. We'll see.

Your last point about it being the most compettive in 25 years was what I was referring to.

[Donoghus]

I guess, what else is in the discussion for most competitive Finals of the past 25 years?

2005 - Pistons/Spurs
2010 - Lakers/Celtics (no need to relive that)
2013 - Spurs/Heat
2016 - Cavs/Warriors

It's not a long list, IMO.

[Redz]

I guess, what else is in the discussion for most competitive Finals of the past 25 years?

2005 - Pistons/Spurs
2010 - Lakers/Celtics (no need to relive that)
2013 - Spurs/Heat
2016 - Cavs/Warriors

It's not a long list, IMO.

I won’t be shocked if the Celtics just put it all together and roll through this series.  Those historically great regular season numbers and now  the ability to win headstrong games in the Indy, could combine for us to see a team that is knows what it’s capable of and ready to show it.

Or it could be a battle. 

Either way I’m ready for it! 

Let’s goooooo!

[Donoghus]

I guess, what else is in the discussion for most competitive Finals of the past 25 years?

2005 - Pistons/Spurs
2010 - Lakers/Celtics (no need to relive that)
2013 - Spurs/Heat
2016 - Cavs/Warriors

It's not a long list, IMO.

I won’t be shocked if the Celtics just put it all together and roll through this series.  Those historically great regular season numbers and now  the ability to win headstrong games in the Indy, could combine for us to see a team that is knows what it’s capable of and ready to show it.

Or it could be a battle. 

Either way I’m ready for it! 

Let’s goooooo!

I think we're about to see this team play at another level that we haven't seen yet these playoffs.   

We know they have another gear.  We've seen it before in the regular season. 

[aefgogreen]

I guess, what else is in the discussion for most competitive Finals of the past 25 years?

2005 - Pistons/Spurs
2010 - Lakers/Celtics (no need to relive that)
2013 - Spurs/Heat
2016 - Cavs/Warriors

It's not a long list, IMO.

I won’t be shocked if the Celtics just put it all together and roll through this series.  Those historically great regular season numbers and now  the ability to win headstrong games in the Indy, could combine for us to see a team that is knows what it’s capable of and ready to show it.

Or it could be a battle. 

Either way I’m ready for it! 

Let’s goooooo!

I think we're about to see this team play at another level that we haven't seen yet these playoffs.   

We know they have another gear.  We've seen it before in the regular season.

From your lips...

[wiley]

I hope fans don’t re-hash the past and get into anti Kyrie chanting.

1.  It will motivate him and his team.

2.  It will distract from enjoying a pure and interesting bball clash and cause a rehash of Boston bashing, race talk, etc.

3.  Get over it.  It was long ago.  Don’t give the media the red meat they probably already seek..

[angryguy77]

I hope fans don’t re-hash the past and get into anti Kyrie chanting.

1.  It will motivate him and his team.

2.  It will distract from enjoying a pure and interesting bball clash and cause a rehash of Boston bashing, race talk, etc.

3.  Get over it.  It was long ago.  Don’t give the media the red meat they probably already seek..

If he and his team need that to be put over the top, they've already lost this series.
IDK where this notion comes from that fans of a 64 win team should be scared of making the other team mad. Do you have so little faith in our team?

[scaryjerry]

I hope fans don’t re-hash the past and get into anti Kyrie chanting.

1.  It will motivate him and his team.

2.  It will distract from enjoying a pure and interesting bball clash and cause a rehash of Boston bashing, race talk, etc.

3.  Get over it.  It was long ago.  Don’t give the media the red meat they probably already seek..

.

I’ve had the same exact feelings the past week waiting for this series but I think it’s asking too much unfortunately.
The garden will be all over Kyrie.

[RMO]

I hope fans don’t re-hash the past and get into anti Kyrie chanting.

1.  It will motivate him and his team.

2.  It will distract from enjoying a pure and interesting bball clash and cause a rehash of Boston bashing, race talk, etc.

3.  Get over it.  It was long ago.  Don’t give the media the red meat they probably already seek..

.

I’ve had the same exact feelings the past week waiting for this series but I think it’s asking too much unfortunately.
The garden will be all over Kyrie.

Same.  I don't really like him but it doesn't have much to with him leaving or his behavior on the Celtics anymore.  I'm over it.  In fact I'm kind of glad he left when he did.  As bad as it was in Boston it got really bad after that.  I think we dodged a bullet.

I don't mind booing but I hope it doesn't get taken too far.  For whatever reason, other players seem to really like him (including Celtic players). 

[Vermont Green]

I don't really care that much about Kyrie's peace of mind or whatever, other than how it impacts how well he will play in the finals.  Maybe he truly has found a good place, realizes his mistakes of the past, maybe this is just a phase, a temporary thing, and he will flake out again at some point.

All I care about right now is how he is going to play.  It appears that he has pulled himself together enough that it will likely last through the finals.   Booo to that.  Maybe some of the Celtics who know him, know something that will trigger him, and they can whisper that in his ear and set him off to being the old Kyrie.

[ozgod]

I hope fans don’t re-hash the past and get into anti Kyrie chanting.

1.  It will motivate him and his team.

2.  It will distract from enjoying a pure and interesting bball clash and cause a rehash of Boston bashing, race talk, etc.

3.  Get over it.  It was long ago.  Don’t give the media the red meat they probably already seek..

Speaking of which, Cryrie said in an interview yesterday that he "wasn't his best self" during his Celtics tenure. No kidding 

Mavs' Irving reflects on Celtics tenure: 'I wasn't my best self'

DALLAS -- As Kyrie Irving prepared for his third playoff series against the Celtics since departing Boston, this time in the NBA Finals, the 13-year veteran superstar reflected fondly on his brief time with the franchise and expressed regret about some of his previous reactions with the passionate fan base that has been hostile toward him.

"I think I'm better at consolidating kind of the emotions now or being aware of what it's going to be like," Irving said after the Mavericks' Monday practice. "We call it animosity, we call it hate, we call it, 'It's going to be hell in Boston.' I mean, there are real, live circumstances going on in the world that are bigger than the basketball, kind of the competitive side of things and answering those questions.

"But I will say last time in Boston, I don't think that was the best -- not this regular season, but when we played in the playoffs and everyone saw me flip off the birds and kind of lose my s--- a little bit -- that wasn't a great reflection of who I am and how I like to compete on a high level. It wasn't a great reflection on my end towards the next generation on what it means to control your emotions in that type of environment, no matter what people are yelling at you.

"I'm built for these moments, to be able to handle circumstances like that, and I've been able to grow since then. So of course it's going to be a hectic environment, but I'm looking forward to it and I see it as a healthy relationship that I have with the fans. I almost think about 'Gladiator,' just winning the crowd over. It is good to hear the TD Garden silent when you're playing well. They still respect great basketball."

Irving said some "fair criticism" has come his way due to his short tenure in Boston, considering his status as one of the league's best players, but he felt that "a little bit more grace could have been extended my way, especially what I was dealing with during that time as a human being."

"I know sometimes in sports, it's literally about the end goal and result and what you accomplish, and that's one thing," Irving said. "But we're still human at the end of the day. I wasn't my best self during that time. When I look back on it, I just see it as a time where I learned how to let go of things and learned how to talk through my emotions.

"It was just a chapter in my life that I got to enjoy for the most part. We had a great opportunity to do some special things, but it was cut short, just based off personal reasons on my end. One thing I look back on my time in Boston -- I've said this over the past few years, but somehow it gets tossed under the rug -- but the greatest thing I learned from Boston was just being able to manage not only my emotions or just what's going on on a day-to-day basis of being a leader of a team or being one of the leaders, and having young guys around you that have their own goals, but you have to learn how to put the big picture first."

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/40271355/kyrie-reflects-celts-tenure-great-reflection-am