Mavericks to the NBA Finals: keys, game schedule and how to watch

(CNN) — After eight months of grueling competition, out of 30 NBA teams, only two remained.

The Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks are the last teams standing to meet in the 2024 NBA Finals, starting Thursday at TD Garden, for a chance to write their names into the history books.

How to see it?

The NBA Finals will air exclusively on ABC in the US.

In Mexico and South America, the games will be broadcast by ESPN and Star+.

In the UK, the final will be broadcast by BBC One and TNT Sports, but international fans will also be able to watch the best-of-seven series using NBA League Pass.

The undefeated Celtics?

With 64 wins, the Celtics were by far the most dominant team throughout the regular season and continued that impressive streak into the postseason, losing just two games throughout the entire playoffs.

However, these victories come with a small caveat: The Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers were without key players – Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell and Tyrese Haliburton, respectively – for all or part of this series.

Either way, the Celtics have been extremely efficient in their games this postseason and are hoping that Joe Mazulla, their second-year coach, can finally lead the team to the top.

The Celtics have been incredibly consistent in the playoffs in recent seasons. This is the sixth time in eight years that a team has reached at least the conference finals, and the second time in three years that Boston has reached the finals. However, Larry O’Brien’s coveted trophy still eludes them.

Victory in this year’s Finals would give the Celtics a record 18th NBA title and pass the Los Angeles Lakers as the league’s most successful team.

Critics and rivals sometimes point to the Celtics as a weak spot, with key players or the team as a whole struggling in the most important moments; Both last year’s surprise loss to the No. 8 seed Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals and Jayson Tatum’s performance in the 2022 NBA Finals are examples of these concerns.

“We can learn a lot from this Finals experience,” Tatum told reporters. “This round is completely different. Obviously we’ve been there before and lost. This is a great opportunity to get back to the finals, you don’t always get a second chance.”

“I’m looking at this as a second chance, trying to make things as simple as possible. This is another series we have to win.”

“Nine days off (before the Finals) is good for your body and good for everyone’s health, but we’re in the NBA Finals and we’re all really hungry and excited to play. I wish we could have started earlier so we could have gone for it, but we have a lot of guys who have been here before and we understand the importance of this moment and say we are ready, fresh and prepared.

But the team has shown impressive character this postseason, especially in the conference finals against the Indiana Pacers. Three times in this series, the Celtics found themselves on the scoreboard, but they won back-to-back games in each game, thanks in large part to series MVP Jaylen Brown.

According to ESPN statistics and information, the Pacers had at least a 90% chance of winning in the fourth quarters of Games 1, 3 and 4.

Will Luke be able to emulate Dirk?

While the Celtics were on fire from day one, the Dallas Mavericks turned their season around ahead of the February trade deadline.

The addition of bigger and longer Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington nicely complemented the backcourt of superstars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, who took turns leading the team throughout the game.

For his part, Derek Lively II is coming off an impressive rookie season and has become a valuable member of the Mavericks’ rotation this postseason, while Derrick Jones Jr. has matured as a player and scored big goals in the postseason.

While Doncic, third in MVP voting, continues to perform at a high level, a knee injury prevented him from reaching the regular season level, so much of Dallas’ success will depend on the Slovenian’s form.

Coach Jason Kidd could further cement his place in Mavericks history by leading the team to a title. It’s been 13 years since Kidd helped the franchise win its first and only Larry O’Brien Trophy as a player, helping Dirk Nowitzki to a stunning Finals victory over the Miami Heat.

“It’s been a tough road to get back here (to the finals),” Irving told reporters. “So I just appreciate all the little steps that were taken, appreciate all the people who helped me grow. The last two days have been a wonderful period of reflection, reflecting not only on the last few years, but also on what we have managed to do this year in such a short period of time.

“As we grow the city of Dallas and our fans, and everyone seems to support us throughout this whole effort, so I’m grateful and appreciative of everything I’ve had to go through and everything my teammates have had to go through to get here with me.”

Full calendar

– Game 1: Mavericks vs. Celtics June 6 – 8:30 p.m. ET
– Game 2: Mavericks vs. Celtics June 9 – 8:00 pm ET
– Game 3: Celtics vs. Celtics. Mavericks, June 12 – 8:30 pm ET
– Game 4: Celtics vs. Celtics. Mavericks, June 14 – 8:30 pm ET
– *Game 5: Mavericks vs. Celtics June 17 – 8:30 p.m. ET
– *Game 6: Celtics vs. Mavericks, June 20 – 8:30 pm ET
– *Game 7: Mavericks vs. Celtics June 23 – 8:00 pm ET

*If it is needed