The Boston Celtics are NBA Champions

The Boston Celtics vs. the Dallas Mavericks will be a top ten Finals series.

   My Soapbox is now a podium. The Boston Celtics are NBA Champions. Any avid PorchTalk reader is well aware that I emphatically proclaimed a Boston vs. Dallas Finals from the highest of mountain tops, my second-story apartment window, well before the playoffs began. 
   A series that is objectively going to fuel online arguments for the next decade. Kyrie Irving's return to Boston. Krsitaps Porzingis’ return to Dallas. Jayson Tatum or Luka Doncic will leave this series with more Championships than the 49ers this century, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, and Bernie Sanders combined. A historic Celtics team against a fifth seed, led by the second-best Slovenian NBA player of all time.
   The array of hypothetical narratives to pair with a week without basketball resulted in a miserable 10-day span of horrendous takes on ESPN, yet the most overlooked factor in any potential success for the Dallas Mavericks is also their most important variable. That is whether or not P.J. Washington, Derrick Jones Jr., and Josh Green can sustain the level at which they've played throughout the playoffs. An eager Mavericks viewer would immediately assume yes, as there has been very little evidence to support any regression; however, this version of the Mavericks has only seen a fully healthy Boston Celtics team once. The paring of the angst that comes with being in your first NBA finals, along with playing the objective number-one team, a team in which you've only seen once, does not sell me on any Mavericks stock. If the three stooges cannot hit shots, the Celtics will close this out in five. I would go as far to say sweep however the mavericks will win an obligatory game where Boston is miserabnle from three. 
   Dallas and Boston faced off twice this year, with both games resulting in a Dallas loss. Looking at regular season games to gauge a Finals series is far from a perfect science; however, an important takeaway from the two regular season matchups is how the Celtics opted to defend Luka Doncic. I do want to acknowledge that the first of the two regular season matchups was prior to the Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington acquisitions. Only looking at the March 1st matchup, Luka had a 37-point triple-double, yet, on 44% scoring, with a +/- rating of -20. Thirteen Mavericks saw the floor in this March 1st matchup; not a single Maverick managed to finish the game with a positive +/- rating. Similar to the Indiana series, Joe Mazzula is going to play directly into the style of basketball Dallas wants to play. Give Luka Doncic the ball. If the Celtics take away the guys who turned this Dallas team into a finals team, this series will be over quickly. 
   To address the elephant in the room. Who is going to guard Jayson Tatum? Is Jason Kidd sleeping comfortably knowing that PJ Washington has to guard Jayson Tatum for 48 minutes? I doubt it. Tatum is well aware that second chances are far from guaranteed in this league and should step up accordingly, yet he will not be the Celtics' biggest offensive output. Cue the most expensive player in NBA history. Jaylen Brown is going to win this series for Boston. The Eastern Conference MVP is a bucket-getter. End of story.
   The Boston Celtics are matchup-proof against Dallas. Jayson Tatum is too good of a player not to send a double, yet when the double is sent, who will Dallas live with shooting the three-ball? The Celtics were far and away the best three-point shooting team this year. Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic are defensive liabilities, particularly in the late game. If the Celtics have made their money off the drive and kick this year, and Dallas couldn't guard a parked car, why in God's name am I to believe the Mavericks have any chance against Boston?
   The Celtics will have banner 18 in a maximum of six games, Jayson Tatum will win his first Finals MVP, and when it is all over, PorchTalk's haphazard predictions will prove to be true. 

‍