(Photo : (Photo by Tim Heitman/Getty Images)) DALLAS, TEXAS – JANUARY 22: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics dribbles the ball up court as Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics looks on in the second half against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on January 22, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.
The NBA Finals are set to tip off this Thursday with a matchup between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks.
This highly anticipated series will headline four of the top players in the league. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown lead the way for Boston as Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are the high octane duo for Dallas.
Both teams are eying an NBA Championship and each team is led by their respective dynamic duo.
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Jayson Tatum & Jaylen Brown
For the Boston Celtics, Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum will make their second appearance in the NBA Finals this week.
Tatum and Brown have spent their entire careers in Boston, playing at a high level together for several seasons now. Early in both of their careers, they actually took a backstage role behind Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward.
When things fell out between Hayward and Irving in Boston, it allowed for Tatum and Brown to both step up as the faces of the franchise for the Celtics.
This season, the duo led Boston to 60 wins, showing that they are the focal points for a Celtics team on the brink of winning a championship.
They complement each other’s games and pick up one another on off nights. One can play off the ball while the other facilitates, and add the fact that both are great defenders too.
It’s only fitting to give Boston the edge over the Mavericks due to Tatum and Brown’s experience playing together in big games, having already played in a NBA Finals together. However, taking down Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving will be a challenging task.
Luka Doncic & Kyrie Irving
(Photo : Tim Heitman/Getty Images)
Doncic and Irving have already spent a season and a half together, and their work now has them playing in the NBA Finals.
Irving and Doncic have played great with each other throughout the regular season, and their stellar play has extended over to the postseason; as they took down some of the top seeds in the West in the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Irving was traded from Brooklyn to Dallas less than two seasons ago, after a disappointing tenure with the Nets.
With the Mavericks, Irving stepped up as the perfect backcourt mate for Luka Doncic, who played at an MVP level this past season.
Similar to Tatum and Brown, Doncic and Irving have mastered playing alongside each other.
They are both elite playmakers who can score and play off the ball well with each other.
Initially, one would’ve thought Doncic and Irving’s play styles would clash, but instead the opposite occurred. Both were able to find synergy with each other and carry an immense load of the Mavericks’ scoring night in and night out.
Although Boston’s dynamic duo may have the edge in defense, they are two of the best scorers in the NBA and are extremely clutch, showing throughout this postseason the ability to hit big shots down the stretch.
Kyrie Irving has extensive experience on the big stage, having played in the NBA Finals on several occasions with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. We believe that he will be the difference maker out of these four star players.
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