Bold Predictions for Boston Celtics vs. Dallas Mavericks Game 4 NBA Finals Matchup | News, Scores, H

If Boston's deep shooting comes alive, of course, that means the wrong end of a sweep for the Mavericks.

They came into this series with the best individual player in Luka. There seemed to at least be a chance that they'd have the best duo, but Kyrie Irving didn't have an above-average box plus/minus till Game 3.

With him struggling to hit shots in Boston and Luka sometimes distracted by his issues with officials, there was a lot on the plate for Dallas' supporting cast. It's just not good enough to overcome the Celtics' depth.

In the regular season, according to various catch-all metrics from around the internet, Boston had four top 40-50 players. It had eight in the top 100-110 range.

The Celtics are well-rounded, versatile and played like a juggernaut from opening night through the end of the conference finals. The Mavericks were in play-in range for much of the season, got hot after the trade deadline and finished fifth in the West. They were 14 wins shy of Boston's regular-season total.

By the time this series is over—and this slide will serve as a prediction that that happens on Friday—we'll likely look back on the 2024 Finals and wonder how so many overthought this matchup to the degree they did.

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