NBA Finals Series: Prediction, Free Bets and Betting Odds

Abigail Moses / 3:03 PM GMT • 3rd June, 2024

6 minutes

In this post, the betting.bet team provide everything you need to know about the NBA Finals teams and, more importantly, our prediction on who is going to be the new NBA champion.

The 2023–24 NBA season has come to a close, as we have the last two teams standing, the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks, who have made it to the NBA Finals and will fight for the NBA championship.

Every NBA fan should be excited about the upcoming NBA Finals series, and in this article, we will provide everything you need to know about the teams and, more importantly, our prediction on who is going to be the new NBA champion!

What's more, we will be providing odds and free bets with bookmakers, William Hill.

Celtics and Mavericks NBA Finals History

We are starting with some all-time data just to give a wide perspective of the upcoming NBA Finals. The Boston Celtics is one of the two winningest teams in NBA history as they are on top of the list with 17 championships won. The last time they won was back in 2008 when Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined forces to bring the championship back to Boston for the first time after 22 years. They made it to the finals twice after that but lost both times, in 2010 to the Los Angeles Lakers and in 2022 to the Golden State Warriors and this will be the Celtics’ 23rd NBA Finals appearance.

The Dallas Mavericks are not even close to a background like that but they are definitely proud of their only NBA championship in franchise history won in 2011. Current Mavs head coach, Jason Kidd, was the starting point guard on that championship team led by Dirk Nowitzki. This will be the third NBA Finals for the team from Texas after losing their first one, back in 2006.

One Player on Each Team Has Won Before

Starting with the Celtics, around half of this team was on the roster when they lost to the Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were the cornerstones of that team, but now they have two more seasons of experience, which makes them much better and ready to win their first NBA championship. Al Horford was the oldest player on that roster, and he is still here but now coming off the bench for the Celtics. Derrick White joined the Celtics during that season, and his role on the team has grown ever since. Payton Pritchard, Luke Kornet, and Sam Hauser were role players back then and are still coming off the bench for the Celtics. Jrue Holiday is the only player on the Celtics team who has won the championship before, as he was the starting point guard on the 2021 Milwaukee Bucks team.

The Dallas Mavericks also have one player with a championship ring, and it is easy to guess that is Kyrie Irving, who won the championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2016. At the same time, he is the only player on the Mavs team who has played in the NBA Finals, and besides, in 2016, he played in three more finals series with the Cavs, all of which were against the Warriors.

The Road to the 2024 NBA Finals

The Boston Celtics finished the regular season with the best record in the league, with 64 wins and 18 losses. They lost a game in each of the first two series against the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and then swept the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Mavs, on the other hand, had a much tougher road to get here. They finished the regular season fifth in the Western Conference with a 50-32 record. In the first playoff round, they defeated the Los Angeles Clippers in six games and did the same against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the next one. They started strong in the Western Conference Finals, winning the first three games against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but failed to complete a sweep at home. However, the Mavs went back to Minny and sealed the deal in five games to move on to the NBA Finals.

Celtics V Mavericks Stats

Looking at the stat sheet, the Celtics had the second-best offense in the league, averaging 119.2 points per game. They were making the most three-pointers per game 16.2 and were second in three-point percentage with 38.5. The Celtics shot 48.6% from the field, which was good for eighth place in the league. Boston is leading the league with only 11.7 turnovers and 6.4 blocks per game. Defensively, they are fifth in the league, allowing 108.1 points per game, second, allowing 45.5% shooting from the field, and fourth, allowing 35% shooting from behind the arc.

Moving on with the Mavericks, they are seventh in the league, averaging 116.2 points per game, third with 14.3 three-pointers made per game, 11th shooting 47.9% from the field, and 13th shooting 37% from deep. Defensively, the Mavs are 20th in the NBA, allowing 113.6 points per game on 47% shooting from the field.

Celtics V Mavericks Prediction

Boston will have the home-court advantage where they were 37-4 in the regular season. The Celtics are among the top teams in the league in almost every statistical category while the Mavs are among the bottom ten teams in most of the defensive ones.

Looking back at the head-to-head matchups, the Celtics have won 6 of the last 10 games including all four games in the last two seasons. The last time they met was on March 1st, when the Celtics won 138-110 in Dallas. They shot over 55% from the field and almost 50% from deep, with all five starters scoring in double figures. In the first game of the season, the Celtics won 119-110 at home with both Tatum and Brown going over 30 points. The Mavs were not even close to winning in those two games even though, Luka Doncic averaged 35 points per game in those two.

There is no doubt that the Celtics are the better team overall, as they play more within a system, while the Mavs heavily depend on the performance of Luka. He was the leading scorer in the NBA this season, averaging 33.9 points per game, and finished third in the MVP voting. Luka is ready for the challenge, and we have seen him grow every year since he joined the NBA in 2018. He is one of the most clutch players in the league, and every time a game is on the line, the Mavs can be confident that Luka will deliver. A lot will depend on Irving as well, who has not been very consistent this postseason. However, Kyrie is the most experienced player on both teams, he has won before and will lack no motive against the Celtics, where he spent two seasons. Another motive for him will be proving to everybody that he can win the championship without LeBron James. 

There is no doubt that it will be an interesting matchup since both teams have played a lot to get here. The Celtics missed their opportunity in the past two seasons, while Doncic has finally made it to the NBA Finals. He will be in the spotlight, and whether you like it or not, he is the best player in this series. Still, we have seen in the past that teams win championships. Luka’s brilliance will win a couple of games for the Mavs, but the Celtics, at the end of the day, are the better team, so we go with the Celtics to win the NBA Finals series in six games.

NBA Finals Odds 

Here are the latest NBA Finals odds, courtesy of William Hill Sportsbook.

Take advantage of these odds by registering with William Hill today! The bookmaker is also offering a welcome free bet to the tune of £30. Simply deposit and bet £10 to unlock this general NBA bonus!