Starting 5, June 4: Will 3s be the key in NBA Finals?
Jason Kidd is the ninth coach ever to reach the Finals with a team he won a championship with as a player.
With just 2 days left til tip, here’s what to know today.
THE LINEUP
What’s inside today’s edition?
3-Point shooting: The Celtics and Mavs are both prolific from 3, but in different ways
Experience factor: Boston nearly doubles Dallas’ Finals experience, but what does it mean?
Clutch performance: How the Cs and Mavs delivered in the clutch to reach the Finals
Chasing History: Take a behind-the-scenes look at Boston and Dallas’ paths to the Finals
Larry Tour update: Larry is making a few final stops before heading to Boston for Game 1
BUT FIRST … ⏰
With 2 days left til the NBA Finals …
Celtics Media Availability: Hear from Boston’s players and coaches live in the NBA App beginning at 11:45 am ET
Chasing History marathon: Lock in for three hours of behind-the-scenes access of the 2024 Playoffs beginning at 5 ET
On This Date – June 4, 2000: One of the most iconic alley-oops in NBA history took place in Game 7 of the West Finals. Down 15, the Lakers staged an epic comeback, outscoring the Blazers 29-11 down the stretch and clinching the win with the “Kobe-to-Shaq” alley-oop
Calling NBA experts: Do you know the top ppg leaders in Finals history?
1. HOW 3-POINT SHOOTING CAN SHAPE THE FINALS
The NBA Finals has never seen a matchup of 3-point shooting teams like this before.
- This season, the Celtics led the NBA in 3-pointers made (16.5 per game) and attempted (42.5), ranked second in 3-point percentage (38.8%) with the 3 accounting for a league-high 47.1% of their shots and 41% of their points
- The Mavs weren’t far behind, averaging 14.6 3s made (3rd), on 39.5 attempts (2nd), while shooting 36.9% – with 3s accounting for 44.1% of their shots (2nd) and 37.2% of their points (2nd)
- Only four teams in NBA history have reached the Finals while averaging at least 14 3s made per game. And this is the first time two will meet with the title on the line
Same Shot, Different Method: While the Celtics and Mavericks both put up a lot of 3s, they generate those looks quite differently.
Stepback Luka: Doncic has more step-back 3s made in this year’s Playoffs (32) than any other team has step-back jumpers (2s and 3s) this postseason.
- Luka has 60 total step-back jumpers made, while Boston ranks second with half that amount (30)
- Check out the best of Luka’s step-back wizardry from Dallas’ run to the Finals
- How important are Luka’s 3s? His 9.8 attempts per game do not vary between wins and losses this postseason, but his 3P% drops 14 points from Dallas’ 12 wins (38.5%) to five losses (24.5%)
Assisted vs. Unassisted: The Mavs led the NBA in unassisted 3-pointers made with 26.5% of their 3s coming without an assist. In the Playoffs, that percentage has risen to 30.4%.
- Boston’s percentage has also increased from the regular season (20.4%) to the Playoffs (23.4%), but more than ¾ of Boston’s 3s come off a pass
- Catch & Shoot: During the regular season, the Celtics ranked first in catch & shoot 3s made (11.4 per game), while the Mavs ranked 20th (9.0 per game)
- Secondary Assists: In the second Celtics play above, Jaylen Brown drives and kicks to Jrue Holiday, who swings it to Al Horford for the 3
- Assist: Holiday. Secondary Assist: Brown, who threw the pass that led directly to an assist. Boston ranked 3rd with 4.3 secondary assists this season
2. THE EXPERIENCE FACTOR
Just two years removed from their last Finals appearance, much of Boston’s core has played on this stage before.
- Seven Celtics have at least five games of Finals experience, including their entire starting five from the past two rounds: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Al Horford
- ️ Horford: “I think it is gonna help tremendously. Because the first time, it felt like a roller coaster. Just a lot going on: the increased coverage of media, all the responsibilities that we had, and just everything that came with it.
- “So I just think that this time around, we all have an understanding. We know what things are like, and I feel like we’ll be able to manage everything better.”
- ️ Tatum: “We can learn from that experience being in the Finals, and this go-around is a lot different. Obviously, we’ve been there before, we came up short. And [it’s] a great opportunity to make it to the Finals again. You don’t always get a second chance.”
The Celtics enter Game 1 with a combined 44 games of Finals experience, compared to just 23 from the Mavs. But the player with the most Finals experience is Kyrie Irving (13 games), who accounts for more than half of Dallas’ experience.
- Different Stage, Similar Stakes: This may be Luka Doncic’s first Finals, but it’s not the first time he’s competed for a championship
- As a 19-year-old phenom, he led Real Madrid to the 2018 EuroLeague Championship, earning EuroLeague MVP and EuroLeague Final Four MVP honors
- Connections: Luka (28.8 ppg) is the first player under 25 years old to lead his team in scoring entering the Finals with no previous Finals experience since … Jayson Tatum in 2022
- Outside of Irving, the only other Mavs with Finals experience are Derrick Jones Jr. (who played a total of nine minutes over four games in the 2020 Finals) and Markieff Morris (who has yet to play for Dallas in these Playoffs)
How important is having Finals experience? Recent results would say not that much.
- In three of the past five Finals, the team with less experience won the title: the 2023 Nuggets, 2021 Bucks and 2019 Raptors
- Five teams in the past 16 Finals have won the title with less than a combined 25 games of experience: the 2023 Nuggets, 2021 Bucks, 2015 Warriors and …
- The 2011 Mavs and 2008 Celtics.
3. COMING THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH
On their way to a league-high 64 wins, the Celtics went 42-5 in games decided by 10 points or more.
- They had 10 more wins by 10+ points than any other team in the league – and 11 more than Dallas (31-21)
- But games decided by three points or less told a different story. Boston was just 6-7 in games decided by a single possession, compared to Dallas’ league-best 5-2 record in such games
Being able to win close games and execute in the clutch is part of a champion’s DNA. And Boston entered the postseason out to show they were ready for such situations.
- Being able to win close games and execute in the clutch is part of a champion’s DNA. And Boston entered the postseason out to show they were ready for such situations.
- Jaylen Brown’s clutch 3 to force overtime in Game 1 against Indiana, and Jayson Tatum’s big OT to close the game
- Jrue Holiday’s and-1 layup and game-clinching steal on back-to-back possessions in Game 3
Boston’s Finals opponent presents two of the best closers in the game in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, who have both delivered in clutch moments already this postseason.
- The Mavs went 23-9 (2nd in Win%) during the regular season in clutch games, and are 6-3 in such games in the postseason
Kyrie is a wizard with the ball in his hands. He marries a quick first step with the ability to finish from nearly every angle around the basket – and with either hand.
- Case In Point: This driving lefty runner against Jalen Williams and the Thunder to seal Game 3 of the West Semis
Then there’s the man they call Luka Magic, who has six clutch buckets – including a game-winning 3 over the Defensive Player of the Year in Game 2 of the West Finals.
- Luka also leads all players in clutch dimes this postseason with 10, including this falling down alley-oop lob to Daniel Gafford to seal Game 3 of the West Finals
4. CHASING HISTORY
The countdown to Game 1 of the Finals continues in the NBA App with a marathon of Chasing History – the all-access docuseries chronicling the 2024 postseason from the SoFi Play-In Tournament until the confetti falls and the Larry O’Brien Trophy finds its new home.
The latest four episodes go behind-the-scenes of the Conference Finals:
- Episode 17: Boston opens the East Finals by winning a thriller, forcing OT on a corner 3 in the closing seconds, and following that up with a Game 2 win to protect home court
- Episode 18: A closer look at Dallas’ star duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving – and their growing bond throughout the season – as the Mavs take a 2-0 lead in the West Finals
- Episode 19: Boston completes its sweep of Indiana to return to the Finals for the second time in three years
- Episode 20: Dallas knocks off Minnesota in five games to become only the second No. 5 seed to ever reach the NBA Finals
More from Dallas
- Episode 9: Mavs KO LA
- Episode 15: Mavs return to the West Finals
More from Boston
- Episode 10: Celtics advance to East Semis
- Episode 12: Celtics start hot
- Episode 13: Celtics advance to East Finals again
5. LARRY TOUR HITS FINAL STRETCH
Boston Bound: With the matchup set, the Larry O’Brien Trophy will be in Boston for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday (8:30 ET, ABC).
How We Got Here: Since Larry’s last appearance in the Starting 5, the Finals Trophy’s journey to the Finals included stops in the Wasteland for the Furiosa premiere, L.A. for a Golden Bachelor audition, Valhalla to meet up with the PGA Championship trophy … among others.
The Latest:
- The Force was strong with Larry at the Star Wars: The Acolyte red carpet
- Back at the INDY 500 for the second straight year trying to meet as many drivers as possible
- Reuniting with past champions Dwyane Wade, Isiah Thomas and Ray Allen
- Will the Celtics or Mavs “finish the story” like WWE Champion Cody Rhodes? And flexing with the Women’s Tag Team champs at SmackDown in Albany
- Cricketer Rohit Sharma met Larry and talked hoops memories ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup in New York
- Caught a quick flight across the pond to hang out with the UEFA Champions League trophy ahead of the UCL Final in London
- The USA Gymnastics squads were flipping out to meet Larry while preparing for the upcoming Olympic Trials. Jordan Chiles was named after a player that won six Larrys
Follow along at nba.com or @nbafinalstrophy.
