The Boston Celtics continued their dominant ways in their Eastern Conference Finals series against the Indiana Pacers. Jayson Tatum and company were able to take care of Indy in a four-game sweep that wrapped up on Monday night, and they’ll have plenty of time to rest before playing in their second NBA Finals in the past three seasons.
Celtics Have 9 Days Off Before Start Of NBA Finals
RACING STRAIGHT TO THE FINALS 🏎️💨 #DifferentHere pic.twitter.com/agnjCMeb2z
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 28, 2024
The Pacers had plenty of chances to steal a win against the heavily favored Celtics, but had trouble putting them away late in games throughout the series. That included the 4th and final game of the matchup on Monday night, as Boston rallied from a 9-point deficit in the final nine minutes of the game, capped off by Derrick White’s 3-pointer with 45 seconds left to seal the 105-102 victory.
The Celtics will look to keep things rolling in the NBA Finals, but they may have some rust to knock off by the time Game 1 rolls around. No matter how long each Conference Finals series takes, the championship series is set to begin on June 6th. That gives Boston a full nine days off between contests, and they won’t have to endure any travel for a full two weeks, as they are set to be the home team.
Mavericks Could Complete A Sweep Of Their Own On Tuesday
“Minnesota looks defeated… They live on their defense, and they cannot stop Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic.”
Stephen A. Smith on how he never predicted the Mavs to take a 3-0 lead over the Timberwolves 🗣️
(via @ESPNNBA)pic.twitter.com/YMcNtF70Y7
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 27, 2024
If things continue as they have out West, then the Mavericks could have a similar rest period. Dallas is currently up 3-0 over the Minnesota Timberwolves, and will be looking to end the season for Anthony Edwards and company on Tuesday night. Kyrie Irving, Luka Dončić, and the rest of the Mavericks’ roster would have eight days of rest, but just one week before they have to jump on a plane to Boston.
In terms of the aforementioned rust, Dallas could be better off if they happen to drop a game against Minnesota. There is no one playing better than the duo of Irving and Dončić, and they likely would prefer to keep the hot hand rolling as opposed to waiting over a week to play again.
The Celtics have been the favorite to win the NBA championship throughout the entire season, and will certainly be featured as the favorites in this year’s Finals.
