The Basics
1. The Celtics are the first team in the 28 years for which we have play-by-play data to, statistically, be the best team in the regular season (plus-11.7 points per 100 possessions) and in each of the first three rounds of the playoffs: plus-17.0 in the first round, plus-8.5 in the conference semis, and plus-6.3 in the conference finals.
2. The Celtics have outscored their opponents by 9.9 points per game from 3-point range, by 4.1 points in the restricted area, and by 6.1 points per game on free throws. Those are all the best differentials in the playoffs.
3. Luca Doncic has averaged 28.8 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.8 assists. If he maintained those numbers, he’d be just the third different player to average at least 28, eight and eight in at least 15 playoff games, joining LeBron James (2015, 2018) and Nikola Jokic (2023).
4. The Mavs are the only team in the last three postseasons with multiple wins (they’re 2-3) in games they trailed by at least 17 points. The Celtics, meanwhile, are 10-0 in games they led by double-digits.
5. In the 22 years since the first-round series changed to best-of-seven (44 teams total), the Celtics (6-2 at home, 6-0 on the road) and Mavs (5-3, 7-2) are just the fifth and sixth teams to reach the Finals with a better playoff record on the road than they had at home.
So who do you have to win it all? Let us know at: info@hoopin.net.au