Cedric Maxwell Shares the ‘Key’ to C’s Vs. originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Celtics are heavy favorites against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals. That being said, games aren’t won on paper and they will need to continue playing elite basketball on both ends to defeat the best in the West.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will have to overcome the Mavs’ all-star tandem of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The return of Kristaps Porzingis, who has been out since Game 4 of the first round with a calf injury, will also be crucial along with the performance of All-Defensive guards Derrick White and Jrue Holiday.
There are several keys to Boston’s victory, but C’s great Cedric Maxwell has narrowed it down to one key that will decide who wins the title.
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“I can give you one key: hit the basketball,” Maxwell told Chris Forsberg on the latest episode of the Celtics Talk Podcast. “Not giving up second-chance opportunities. Because (Daniel) Gafford and (Dereck) Lively are at the rim all the time. You don’t want to give a team that has those shooters extra opportunities. …
“For me, it will be not giving up offensive rebounds. Because we saw Lively, we saw Gafford, those guys partying inside.”
Dallas presents Boston’s toughest test by far in the 2024 playoffs. The Celtics defeated the Miami Heat without Jimmy Butler, a Cleveland Cavaliers team that played without Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen, and the Indiana Pacers without Tyrese Haliburton.
Some have scoffed at the Celtics’ “easy” road to the championship, but Maxwell is tired of hearing that narrative.
“I get tired of hearing people say, ‘Well, they didn’t really play anyone.’ They played against the teams they had to play against, against whoever was sitting in front of them, and they played very well,” he said. “I think they learned a lot of lessons, they learned who they were, you saw the defensive responsibility, you saw Tatum, you saw Brown. I mean, it was good to see those guys enjoying some of that stuff and man, Jrue Holiday was unreal. Jrue Holiday will be another key.”
Also in this episode:
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How important is a healthy Kristaps Porzingis for Boston in this series?
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OK, fine, let’s talk about Kyrie.
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Maxwell shares his thoughts on the “drama” of the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown relationship.
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Who do you have winning this series?
