Today we officially know the two teams that will face off in the NBA Finals.
We also know why Drew Brees hung up his cleats; does he?
NBA Finals Matchup Set
What Happened: Simply put, the Timberwolves forgot to show up, and now, we have ourselves a Dallas Mavericks-Boston Celtics NBA Finals.
With their season on the line, the Wolves were never competitive. Down by nearly 30 points at half and in a 36-point hole at one point, Minnesota was crushed by Dallas 124-103 to end the Western Conference finals in five games.
Luka DonÄŤić and Kyrie Irving led the way with 36 points apiece for the Mavs, earning Irving a shot at revenge against his former team with the ultimate prize (well, basketball’s ultimate prize at least) at stake.
Why It Matters: Is Boston a well-rested, dominant force on its way to a title? Or is Dallas battle tested from a tougher slate of playoff opponents, ready to knock off a Boston team that hasn’t been challenged this postseason?
Despite a path to the Finals perceived as cupcake soft, the Celtics remain the favorites to get their picture taken with Adam Silver when it’s all said and done. The East champs opened at -225 to defeat Dallas, who is a +185 underdog.
Finals MVP is likely a two-horse race as well; with the best player on the winning team almost always earning that individual award, it’s Jayson Tatum (-130) vs. DonÄŤić (+200). Unless…
Dončić is averaging more points and assists than Tatum, and has double the amount of 30-point games this postseason (eight) compared to Tatum (four); the Mavs have played three more games, but it still feels like Dončić has produced in the biggest moments for his team.
If Dallas wins it all, it’s DonÄŤić’s award to lose. But at those odds, we can’t help but wonder if he could win Finals MVP regardless of the series outcome.
How We’re Feeling Today
Our body feels great, but also not great? Uhh, we should probably explain. Please let us do that.
Former Saints quarterback Drew Brees commented recently that he had planned on playing another three seasons if he hadn’t been forced to retire from the NFL. No shame in a 42-year old athlete calling it quits, certainly. Enjoy the Hall of Fame, etc.
But Brees’ comments about why he stopped playing were kinda curious? He said that “my body feels great, my body can play,” before adding that “my right arm can’t.”
Drew! That’s really the most important part for a quarterback! If the right arm can’t play, the body can’t!
Tom Brady proved, in fact, that ALL you need to play QB effectively is a functioning shoulder. (You don’t even need the support of your family…ba dum tss!)
Curious framing from Brees on this one, but he seems to be coping well, learning how to throw left-handed in retirement. Always gotta find the positives.
The Look Ahead
Mason Marchment SOG – We aren’t dealing with a high bar to get over here; Marchment’s line is just 1.5 shots on goal for tonight’s Game 5. The Stars winger has gotten multiple shots on net in three games already this series, and with the high goal totals we’ve been seeing (eight combined goals in Game 3, seven in Game 4,) we expect the pace to remain relentless and offense to be plentiful.
