How The Dallas Mavericks Can Win 2024 NBA Championship

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving proving Stan Van Gundy right. That’s how the Mavericks can win this year’s NBA championship over the Boston Celtics. The Mavs are one win away from setting up a Mavs-Celtics matchup in the NBA Finals as they lead the Timberwolves 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals.

Doncic and Irving are playing at an elite level so far in the playoffs, so much so that Van Gundy said during a broadcast that Doncic and Irving are “the most talented backcourt in the history of the NBA.”

That will be tested against a Celtics team that has options when it comes to throwing various defensive looks against the Mavs’ backcourt. The Celtics have four players capable of defending Doncic and Irving, starting with arguably the best perimeter defender in the game with Jrue Holiday along with Derrick White, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

For the Mavs, it goes without saying that Doncic and Irving have to find ways to sustain their stellar play in the Finals. Doncic is averaging 31.5 points per game in the series vs. Minnesota. Irving is averaging 24.8 points per game. Both must showcase their top-level on-ball talents in the series for the Mavs to be successful.

Of course, there are other matchups and keys that will play a significant role in determining the championship, ranging from the health of the centers for both teams to who gets it done in clutch time to what team steps up on the road.

For the Mavs, they must contain Tatum on the offensive end. Derrick Jones Jr. will draw that assignment. Jones Jr. has been the Mavs’ go-to defender so far and has done a nice job, including on Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards in this latest series. In the first round, he limited Clippers star Paul George’s impact.

Along with Jones Jr., Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington must continue their strong postseason runs as well.

On the injury front, the Mavs missed center Dereck Lively II (sprained neck) in their Game 4 loss of the Western Conference Finals. Maxi Kleber returned from a right shoulder injury, but he does not provide the same rim protection as Lively.

Having Lively available for the Finals is huge for the Mavs, especially with Kristaps Porzingis (calf) expected to return for the Celtics.

Outside of winning the on-court matchups, other keys for the Mavs include continued success in clutch time and on the road. This is a team that overcame late deficits in the first three games to take a commanding 3-0 lead on the Timberwolves. This is a team that has proven it can win on the road too. The Mavs and Clippers were tied 2-2 in the first round, and the Mavs won the pivotal Game 5 in Los Angeles. They won two games in their series against the Thunder in Oklahoma City. And then they won the first two games against the Timberwolves in Minnesota.

These series usually come down to the stars. 

And for the Mavs, Doncic will be the best player and biggest star on the floor with Irving not too far behind. There’s no reason to overthink it: the Mavs key to winning is Doncic and Irving cementing a case as the most talented backcourt in NBA history.