Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley makes 2024 NBA Finals prediction

Barkley maintained that the Celtics would win the NBA championship even after the Mavericks destroyed the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 7 of the 2024 Western Conference playoffs. He did, however, state that he anticipates a thrilling series involving Boston and Dallas.

“As of right now, nothing has convinced me that the Celtics won’t take home the title. Though I like the Celtics, I think this series will be incredible.

In the playoffs, the Celtics have only dropped two games thus far. In addition, they have just defeated the Indiana Pacers in the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals despite the absence of big player Kristaps Porzingis. With the exception of the first-round series against the Miami Heat, Porzingis is getting healthier by the day. If he is cleared to play in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, he would be a fantastic addition to the already strong Celtics team, which also includes Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Thursday in Boston will be the first game of the championships.

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Mavs Rookie Coming ‘Full Circle’ With Jayson Tatum In NBA Finals Vs. Celtics

Jayson Tatum has led by example for a new wave of players entering the NBA since walking through the door, guiding the Celtics to a league-best 64 wins in the regular season and an NBA Finals appearance against the Mavericks.

Anyone hoping to follow in Tatum’s footsteps will find inspiration in his rise from the No. 3 overall selection in 2018 to his status as one of the league’s faces. However, as a rookie, running into the five-time All-Star in the finals is a whole different ballpark; Dallas rookie Dereck Lively II sees this as a “full circle” moment.

According to Grant Afseth of MavericksGameday.com, Lively, a fellow Duke Blue Devil alumnus, informed reporters on Sunday that she was “full circle.” “I feel like I’ve seen him before college, and now that I’m playing against him, I can tell that they’re a fantastic team and that he’s an incredible player. I don’t even know how to describe it, but it gives me pins and needles.

Despite spending a lone (2016-17) season at Duke, Tatum’s Blue Devil connection runs deep in their program. He’s made various return visits, does offseason work with young up-and-coming prospects, and maintains a relationship with former coach and NCAA legend Mike Krzyzewski. Even during this past season’s All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, Tatum and Lively shared a special moment during pregame.

Lively, a participant in the weekend’s Rising Stars Challenge, asked Tatum for a piece of rookie advice. Though neither Tatum nor Lively could envision returning to center-court, meeting face-to-face at the biggest stage.