BOSTON – There are a number of fun and interesting facts surrounding the 2024 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks. Below are a few:
- The Mavericks are looking to become the first No. 5 playoff seed to win an NBA championship since the current 16-team playoff format began 40 years ago. Since the 1983-84 season, only one team seeded fourth or lower has lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy – the 1994-95 Rockets, who were the sixth seed in the Western Conference.
- The Mavericks’ Luka Dončić can become the first player to win a scoring title and an NBA championship in the same season since the Lakers’ Shaquille O’Neal in 1999-00.
- There are a Finals-record 13 international players on the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks, surpassing the previous record of 10 set in 2013 by the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat.
Boston: Oshae Brissett (Canada), Al Horford (Dominican Republic), Svi Mykhailiuk (Ukraine), Kristaps Porziņģis (Latvia) and Neemias Queta (Portugal)
Dallas: Luka Dončić (Slovenia), Danté Exum (Australia), Josh Green (Australia), Kyrie Irving (Australia), Maxi Kleber (Germany), AJ Lawson (Canada), Dwight Powell (Canada) and Olivier-Maxence Prosper (Canada)
- For the second time in NBA history, two Black coaches – Dallas’ Jason Kidd and Boston’s Joe Mazzulla, will face off in the NBA Finals.
- Dallas’ Jason Kidd can become the eighth individual to win an NBA championship as both a player and head coach with the same team. As a Hall of Fame player, Kidd helped the Mavs win their first NBA championship, in the 2010-11 season. As a head coach, Kidd has guided Dallas to the NBA Finals for the first time since that championship-winning season 13 years ago.
- Of the players on the 2024 NBA Finals rosters, 63% (22/35) have NBA G-League experience.
- Boston’s Jayson Tatum, 26, has scored 2,600 career playoff points – the second most for a player at age 26 or younger, behind Kobe Bryant (2,694).
Source: NBA
