Starting 5, June 1: 5 storylines to know for 2024 NBA Finals

What’s going on Starting 5 fam!

Today, we’re looking at some of the top stories heading into the NBA Finals (June 6, 8:30 ET on ABC). And as we do, we want to know … what stories are you looking forward to most?

For now, KG, how many sleeps left til the Finals tip?

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THE LINEUP

Top Storylines: With five days before Game 1, we have five storylines you need to know

Celtics Media Day: Hear what Boston’s coaches and players had to say about the Finals

Conference Finals Photos: Look back at our favorite frames from last round

Commissioner’s Cup: College rivals Caitlin Clark & Angel Reese open the W’s in-season competition

BAL Championship Preview: Everything you need to know before today’s title game

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BUT FIRST …

The Boston Celtics meet with the media today at 11:30 ET, live in the NBA App / NBA.com.

On June 1, 1979, the Seattle SuperSonics captured their only NBA title with a Game 5 win over Washington.

On June 1, 2021, Damian Lillard splashed an NBA playoff-record 12 3s while scoring a playoff career-high 55 points in Portland’s loss to Denver in Game 5 of the first round.

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1. FIVE EARLY FINALS STORYLINES

The 2024 NBA Finals features a matchup of a dominant team from start to finish in Boston and another, in Dallas, that found its stride after making key moves at the trade deadline.

Both paths led them to the Finals stage, with Game 1 set for Thursday, June 6 on ABC.

We have five days to dig into every aspect of this series, but let’s begin with five of the biggest storylines you need to know.

1. Superstar Duos Lead The Way

• Jayson Tatum & Jaylen Brown have been one of the NBA’s premier wing duos since coming together in 2017. This is their second Finals appearance (along with five ECFs) as teammates. They’ve combined to average 51 ppg in this Finals run

• Luka Doncic & Kyrie Irving have only been teammates for 482 days, but have already forged their path to the Finals, combining to average 51.6 ppg in the Playoffs after being the top-scoring duo of the regular season (59.6 ppg)

2. Key Acquisitions

• Dallas: Kyrie, acquired at the 2023 trade deadline, has built an on-court, off-court bond with Luka that’s getting them buzz as one of the top offensive backcourt pairings ever

• P.J. Washington & Daniel Gafford were added at the 2024 trade deadline to transform the Mavs’ frontline and defensive identity

• Boston: Acquired Derrick White at the 2022 trade deadline, giving the Cs another elite two-way player

• Kristaps Porzingis & Jrue Holiday were added before the 2023-24 season to reshape their starting five, leading to a 64-win season

3. Making Their Own History

The Mavs (.591) & Celtics (.567) are two of the three winningest teams since the 1999-00 season, with both teams only trailing the Spurs (.635).

• Boston (2008) & Dallas (2011) each won a title during that time, but are more than a decade removed from hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy

• The Celtics have been knocking on the door since the Tatum/Brown tandem was formed in 2017. They reached this stage in 2022 but were defeated by the Warriors

• The Mavs haven’t made it out of the first round since their title run until 2022 when they reached the West Finals before falling to the same Warriors squad that beat Boston

• After missing the 2023 postseason, the Mavs will try to emulate the 2022 Warriors and go from missing the playoffs to winning the title the following season

4. Shooting Their Shot

• During the regular season and playoffs, the Celtics and Mavs have ranked first and third, respectively, in 3-pointers made

• How they create those 3-point shots may differ – which we’ll dive into later this week – but the result is 40+ percent of both teams’ shots have come from 3 in both the regular season and Playoffs

5. Coaching Clash

The head coaches in these series have very different resumes but have guided their teams to the verge of a championship.

• Jason Kidd: After being the point guard on Dallas’ 2011 title team, Kidd now leads from the sidelines in his third season as head coach

• Joe Mazzulla: At 35 years old, he’s the youngest coach to reach the Finals since Bill Russell as player/coach for the Celtics in 1968

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2. CELTICS MEET THE MEDIA

The Final Challenger: Four days after ousting the Pacers in the East Finals, the Celtics met with the media to discuss their next opponent — the Dallas Mavericks.

The Mindset: With a title hanging in the balance, Boston — playing in its second Finals in three years — is preparing for a battle.

• ️ Coach Mazzulla On The Finals’ Winning Formula: “It’s the team that plays the hardest. It’s the team that’s the toughest… It’s the team that executes at the highest level over and over again.”

Porzingis Update: Just minutes into his press conference, Mazzulla was asked about the status of Kristaps Porzingis, Boston’s third-leading scorer in the regular season, who hopes to return from a calf injury suffered in Game 4 of the First Round.

• ️ Mazzulla: “He’s getting better. He’s out there shooting. Went through a couple of drills in practice. So, progressing well and kind of confident where he’s at right now.”

• ️ Holiday: “We can’t wait for KP to be back.”

Containing Kyrie & Luka: Another hot topic was how Boston plans to slow down Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving — who averaged 32.4 and 27.0 points per game in the West Finals, respectively.

• ️ Mazzulla: “It’s going to take multiple coverages. It’s going to take multiple players. It’s going to take a team effort. You just need to have a clear understanding of what you’re willing to live with and what you’re willing to take away.”

• ️ Holiday On Guarding Kyrie & Luka: “It’s hard, but it’s fun. Two of the best scorers in the league… it’s not going to be easy.”

No Texas Two-Step: Despite Irving & Doncic’s production, the Celtics know Dallas is more than a two-man show and will test the East champs’ flexibility and fortitude.

• ️ Mazzulla on Dallas: “Well-coached, well-prepared. They’re a great team with two really good scorers, but I think their role players are great. So, they present a ton of challenges…

• “They protect the rim really well… they’ll change matchups, they’ll change coverages… they have an innate ability to change on the fly”

• ️ Al Horford: “Dallas is a very tough team — very talented. They’re playing their best basketball right now. Very high level, very confident. It’s gonna be fun.”

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3. CONFERENCE FINALS LOOKBACK

Snapshot: Luka’s stepback, Brown’s double bang, Ant’s slam, Nembhard’s night… relive the action with the best photos from the 2024 Conference Finals.

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4. COLLEGE RIVALS CLASH TO OPEN WNBA COMMISSIONER’S CUP

After memorable matchups in the 2023 national championship game and the 2024 NCAA Final Four, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese meet for the first time in the WNBA to open the 2024 Commissioner’s Cup presented by Coinbase today (12 ET, ESPN).

What Is The Commissioner’s Cup? The fourth annual WNBA in-season competition debuts a new format for 2024:

• All 30 regular-season games played from June 1-13 will be Commissioner’s Cup Games

• Each team plays a total of five games, one against each of its in-conference rivals, with the results counting toward the Commissioner’s Cup and regular-season standings

• The teams that finish at the top of each conference will compete for a $500,000 prize pool in the Commissioner’s Cup Championship presented by Coinbase on June 25

Top Storylines: What’s stood out from the first two-plus weeks of the 2024 WNBA season?

• A’ja Wilson: The reigning Finals MVP has opened the season with five straight 20/10 games – the longest such streak in WNBA history. She fell one board shy of making it six straight on Friday

• Exciting Rookies: Clark leads all rookies in scoring (17.6 ppg, 13th in the W) and assists (6.6 apg, 4th). Reese leads the rooks in rebounding (8.2 rpg, 10th) and steals (1.3 spg), while L.A.’s Cameron Brink ranks third overall in blocks (2.7 bpg)

• Hot Starts: Phoenix’s Kahleah Copper and Dallas’ Arike Ogunbowale became two of four players in WNBA history to tally 140+ pts in the first five games of a season

• Unbeaten Sun: Connecticut is off to a franchise-best 7-0 start to the season. Led by DeWanna Bonner (who became the W’s fifth all-time leading scorer in the season opener) and Alyssa Thomas (who has already added to her WNBA triple-double record)

• Aces Seeking 3-Peat: Las Vegas is off to a 4-2 start as they try to become only the second team ever (1997-2000 Comets) to win three straight titles

• Run It Back: The Liberty – last year’s runner-up – are off to a 6-2 start as they look to return to the Finals and win that elusive first title

• New-Look Storm: After going 11-29 last season, the Storm added 2016 MVP Nneka Ogwumike and six-time All-Star Skylar Diggins-Smith to join reigning scoring champ Jewell Loyd. The trio has Seattle off to a 5-3 start

• Expansion: The Golden State Valkyries will join the WNBA in 2025 and Toronto was just awarded the league’s 14th team to begin play in 2026

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5. BASKETBALL AFRICA LEAGUE FINALS SET TO CROWN NEW CHAMP

The Fourth Finals: The 2024 Basketball Africa League (BAL) Championship Game tips off today between Al Ahly Ly and Petro de Luanda in Kigali, Rwanda, where a first-time champion will be crowned.

Postseason Suspense: The BAL Playoffs have produced upsets, buzzer-beaters, and OT thrillers — and the drama culminates at 10 am ET (NBA App, NBA.com).

Back Again: Petro de Luanda — the No. 6 seed and Angolan champions — returns to the BAL Finals for the second time in three years, looking to avenge their loss in the 2022 title game.

• Elite Company: Petro de Luanda joins US Monastir — who beat them in the 2022 Finals — as the only clubs to reach the BAL Championship for the second time since the league’s inception in 2021

• Battle Tested: Petro is coming off two nail-biting wins, as they edged out AS Douanes, 66-65, in the quarterfinals with a last-second bucket and then beat Cape Town in OT in the semifinals

• Cementing A Legacy: Veteran G Carlos Morais will look to add a BAL championship to his storied career, which includes four Angolan League scoring titles, three Angola Cups and multiple league MVPs

Inaugural Appearance: Al Ahly Ly — the No. 7 seed and Libyan champions — are making their Finals debut in their first BAL season.

• History Made: Al Ahly Ly is the first team to make it to the BAL Final after passing through the FIBA-run Road BAL qualifiers

• New Leader: Three weeks before their BAL debut, Ivan Jeremic replaced Tunisian Aoun Monaem as the team’s head coach

• Star Power: Center Jo-Lual Acuil Jr. — who earned Third-team All-Big 12 honors in 2018 while playing for Baylor University — leads the BAL in scoring this season (21.8 ppg) and dropped 27 points in Al Ahly Ly’s semifinal win over Rivers Hoopers Basketball Club

Friday Doubleheader: A collection of young talent took over yesterday’s BAL Elevate Showcase prior to the Playoff’s bronze medal game between Rivers Hoopers and Cape Town.

• BAL Elevate Showcase: NBA Academy Africa defeated REG (Rwanda) 82-72, led by Khadim Rassoul Mboup’s 17 pts and 10 reb