The Dallas Mavericks’ magical journey to the 2024 NBA Finals appeared to be a precursor to future success, even though it did not conclude with a title.
The Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks 64–18 in five games.
With a deep, versatile roster built around All-Star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, Dallas appeared primed to contend for titles for at least the next half-decade.
Instead, having grown impatient with a lingering Doncic calf injury, Dallas general manager Nico Harrison flipped the five-time All-NBA First Teamer to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for a package headlined by 10-time All-Star power forward/center Anthony Davis, a perpetual injury risk six years Doncic’s senior.
Boston, too, is going through some major growing pains just two years later. Six-time All-Star power forward Jayson Tatum could miss the entire 2025-26 season while recovering from an Achilles tendon tear, so Celtics president Brad Stevens traded away the contracts of starting center Kristaps Porzingis and starting guard Jrue Holiday to slash his luxury tax bill next season.
That 2024 Finals encounter feels more anomalous by the day.
Now, new details of just how chippy things got are starting to emerge.
Irving himself admitted that he nearly came to blows with a Boston rival during the Finals.
During a live stream with four-time Celtics All-Star swingman Jaylen Brown, his one-time teammate-turned-Finals rival, Irving explained that tensions between himself and Boston reserve guard Payton Pritchard nearly boiled over at one point in the series.
“We were going to halftime. I ain’t gonna lie to you, I thought about swinging. One time, just to see where he was at. I thought about swinging one time,” Irving revealed. ” He would not touch.
I thought about swinging half-court shot that happens two times.”
At another point in their extensive conversation, Irving looked back on his early years with the Celtics.
Boston acquired him during the 2017 offseason, when he had demanded a trade away from LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers following three consecutive NBA Finals appearances.
Everything was thrilling. Up the street was where my dad had attended school. In addition to Irving, Irving’s mother also earned a degree from Boston University. “So, the thrill of finally arriving and donning the Boston Celtics uniform was absolutely mind-blowing.” In the playoffs, Irving, Brown, and a young Jayson Tatum were all solid contributors.
However, the 6-foot-2 Tatum quickly grew dissatisfied with his new surroundings and, in free agency, signed with the Brooklyn Nets alongside pals Kevin Durant and DeAndre Jordan.
Irving demanded a trade away from the town in 2022–23, marking his third consecutive team that he did so.
The Mavericks received him after Brooklyn sent him to them.
Even though there is almost continuous roster turnover in Dallas, the Duke product appears to have settled in better.
Irving, who is nursing an ACL injury, signed a longer-term three-year deal worth $119 million instead of his $43 million player option for the 2025–26 season.
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