The Dallas Mavericks finished the regular season as the fifth seed in the Western Conference with a 50–32 record.[2] The Mavericks made the playoffs after missing the stage last season where the team finished 38–44. The Mavericks defeated the Los Angeles Clippers and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first and second rounds, respectively, winning each series in 6 games.[3][4] They then defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Conference Finals 4–1 to clinch their first NBA Finals appearance in 13 years. In their last appearance in 2011, the team, which featured current head coach Jason Kidd at point guard, won their first and only title.[5]
The Boston Celtics finished the regular season as the best record in the NBA, with 64–18.[6] Throughout the playoff run, they faced the Miami Heat in the first round, a rematch of the previous year's Eastern Conference Finals, and won the series 4–1. They then faced the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round, winning the series in five games. Finally, they swept the Indiana Pacers in the Conference Finals to reach the NBA Finals for the second time in three years and for the 23rd time in their history with their last win dating back to 2008 NBA Finals. A series win would give the Celtics their 18th championship, and break their tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most in NBA history.[7]
This is the Celtics’ third Finals appearance where they played a team from Texas, as they previously defeated the Houston Rockets in the 1981 and 1986 Finals.[8][9]
The Finals will be televised in the United States by ABC (including local affiliates WCVB-TV in Boston and WFAA in Dallas) for the 22nd consecutive year. This will mark the first Finals called by the team of play-by-play announcer Mike Breen, analysts Doris Burke and JJ Redick, and sideline reporter Lisa Salters.[10] Furthermore, this will be the first Finals since 2006 without Jeff Van Gundy or Mark Jackson as commentators, as they were laid off after the previous year's finals.[11][12]