This is the season when the Larry O’Brien Trophy is scheduled to be awarded to a new recipient.
In a few weeks, the NBA Finals will crown a new champion following the Denver Nuggets’ elimination in the second round.
Here are five things you should know regarding the NBA Finals this year.
Who is included?
The Boston Celtics, who represent the Eastern Conference, and the Dallas Mavericks, who represent the West, are the teams competing in this year’s NBA Finals.
Boston finished the regular season with the best record in the NBA, going 63-19, while Dallas, with a 50-32 record, earned the No. 5 seed.
How did they arrive here?
This postseason has been, to put it mildly, a cakewalk for the Celtics. After 14 postseason games.
They have won 12 of their 14 postseason games, including five against the eighth-ranked Miami Heat (without Jimmy Butler), five against the Cleveland Cavaliers (ranked fifth), and four against the Indiana Pacers (ranked sixth).
After defeating the No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers and No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder in six games apiece, Dallas has faced a far more difficult journey. They defeated the third-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in five games in the Western Conference Finals; the Timberwolves had defeated the defending champions in the previous round.
What’s the timetable?
Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET and Sunday at 8 p.m. ET will see the start of Games 1 and 2, respectively, at the Celtics. The next two games in the series, Games 3 and 4, will take place in Dallas on Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 p.m., with Games 5 to follow on Friday.
