Believe it or not, the 2024 NBA playoffs have already reached the conference finals after two exciting Game 7s on Sunday. For some, like the Boston Celtics, it has flown by, and for others, like the Indiana Pacers, it’s been a long road.
Regardless, we are here to get you set for not just the Eastern Conference Finals, but the Western Conference Finals as well as a look at the updated odds to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Eastern Conference Finals preview: Indiana Pacers vs. Boston Celtics
Starting in the Eastern Conference, we have already mentioned the two teams that will be featured. The Celtics have been favorites since the start of the season and have not disappointed.
They clinched the #1 seed about as early as humanly possible, and the only thing that can be said about Boston through the postseason is that each of the first two rounds took them five games instead of being clean sweeps.
That has allowed them to have significant rest, as the Pacers were pushed to a Game 7 against the New York Knicks. That is significant for this series specifically, as the biggest concern for the Celtics, and perhaps the biggest storyline of the teams remaining is the health of Kristaps Porzingis.
When Boston acquired him this offseason, he was expected to be the third piece alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to get them over the hump. They’ve managed without him thus far, but if they make it to the NBA Finals and face the likes of Anthony Edwards or Luka Doncic, his presence down low will be much needed.
As for this series against the Pacers, Myles Turner doesn’t pose the same type of threat that most big men do. This sets up nicely for Boston, as does the entire play style of Indiana. They play a similar style of ball to that of the Celtics, but not as efficiently.
In other words, this means that Boston can simply play their game without having to focus on switching things up as they would have against a more physical Knicks team. They can go possession-for-possession with Indiana knowing that with the superior top-end talent, they should be able to come out on top.
While that may be the case, it certainly doesn’t mean that it’s a guarantee that the Celtics will simply cruise to the 2024 NBA Finals and Indiana won’t put up a fight. These teams met five times this season, trading wins each time.
That led to Boston coming away with the 3-2 season series lead, but the Pacers were still able to score 122+ in three of the five games. If there is one offense that can compete with Boston’s stellar defense, it’s Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers. With a good-on-good matchup, we should be set for an epic series ahead.
This will be Boston’s third straight trip to the Eastern Conference Finals and sixth in the past eight years, so fans are certainly hoping this is the year that they can get over the hump and get past a Pacers team that has surpassed all expectations thus far.
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Western Conference Finals preview: Dallas Mavericks vs. Timberwolves
As for the Western Conference, we looked destined to have the defending champion Denver Nuggets facing the Dallas Mavericks. However, a young Minnesota Timberwolves led by 22-year-old Anthony Edwards pulled off one of the most improbable comebacks in Game 7 history on Sunday.
Edwards has already drawn comparisons to a young Michael Jordan, and while that is a bit over the top for some fans, he’s certainly had flashes of greatness. Of course, it’s truly the Minnesota defense that has helped them reach this point.
The Timberwolves have had the best defense in the NBA virtually all season, led by Rudy Gobert. The big man recently won the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year, which was his fourth time winning the award, with all four coming since 2018. That stout defense will be facing a team in the Western Conference Finals that was mocked for their defense much of the season.
That would be the Dallas Mavericks, led by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The duo has enough offense as some entire teams in the NBA, so this matchup is an exciting one for fans to watch. As for that lackluster defense, it has certainly improved since the trade deadline.
Dallas acquired Daniel Gafford, and while that may not be a household name like Luka or Kyrie, that’s primarily due to being on such a poor team in the Washington Wizards. Gafford has been a tremendous boost defensively, which is what helped the Mavs eliminate the #1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round.
There were some extremely close games for sure, but keeping an elite scorer and MVP finalist in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander speaks volumes. So, the series between the Timberwolves and the Mavs will be all about what wins out - an elite defense or an elite offense.
The elephant in the room for this series is the health of Luka Doncic. He’s been dealing with a sprained knee, ankle soreness, and amid the last series, a lower back injury. It has affected his explosiveness, but at the same time, we’ve also seen him record multiple triple-doubles this postseason alone.
Updated NBA Finals odds
Just as it’s been since the start of the 2023-24 season, the Boston Celtics remain the favorite to win the 2024 NBA Finals. Better yet, their -1400 odds to win their series over the Pacers make them the second-largest favorite in NBA history in the conference finals.
As for their odds of winning the title, they’re the odds-on favorite with a -150 price. Behind them is Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves at +275 odds. The 2024 NBA Finals odds round out with the Mavericks at +500 odds and the longshot Pacers at +2500 odds.
