The Celtics HAVE BROKEN Nick Wright

The Eastern Conference and the injuries did the Celtics a disservice. Like, I don't think that they are ready for this difficulty jump. Meanwhile, the Mavs come into these finals, we can show you, having played one of the hardest paths by how many wins the other team has in NBA history. I'm here to tell you right now, we don't care. And this is why I don't think they're going to get it done. If you don't have a guy who has already been either an MVP or damn close, you don't win. One of the most famous sayings in all sports is that styles make fights. And this year's NBA Finals, the styles are pretty straightforward and simplistic. On one hand, you have Boston, a great defensive team, great offensive team, that's really well-rounded and plays as a team. On the other hand, in Dallas, it's a two-headed monster of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. And if those guys don't play well, they have no shot to win a game or a series. And in large part due to Luka Doncic being so great, so offensively talented, that fear, that respect, had a lot of figures in the media picking Dallas to win this series outright. Now look, when it comes to Luka Doncic, of course an offensive wizard, and I have tons of respect for him and his offensive game. But looking at the Mavericks team, specifically in this year's Finals, it's really Luka Doncic and everybody else. In these first two games versus Boston, they personified a great team versus a great player. And for someone like Nick Wright, a well-documented LeBron James fan, this guy time and time again opts for the great player over the great team and just the better all-around squad. And looking at Dallas in this year's Finals, in terms of passes made per game, 210 compared to Boston, who's above 270. Now since tracking began in 2014, that 210 number is the lowest in Finals history for a single team. And if you go one step further looking at assists per game, Boston, 11 more than Dallas. Secondary assist, kind of the hockey assist, the extra pass. Boston, 4.5 per game. Dallas, 0.5. Now the most glaring stat is potential assists. Boston, 47. Dallas, 30.5. If you've watched Dallas all year long, these numbers, they really aren't that surprising. But in contrast to Boston, it becomes glaringly obvious Dallas is a one-man army versus Boston, who again, is a great team. And if you look at Luka Doncic's comparisons, it's kind of a cliche that Luka is the white James Harden. But looking back at those Rockets teams in the late 2010s, I mean much like Dallas, very ISO heavy and superstar centric. The 2017 Rockets, in terms of passes per game, ranked second to last by an OKC, who were led by Westbrook. The 2018 Rockets, who made the West Finals, dead last in passes per game. 2019, once again, second to last behind Westbrook's Thunder. So what this tells us yet again, is that ISO centric players, ISO centric teams. They can go far in the playoffs, but in terms of winning championships, it's not the best formula and it rarely, if ever, works. And staying with the team versus player arguments, Nick Wright, pre the NBA Finals, was preaching from the rooftops of Boston they wouldn't get it done because quote, they didn't have a guy. I just, and so I want to show one other thing, because the thing is this, and this is why I don't think they're going to get it done. If you don't have a guy who has already been either an MVP or damn close, you don't win. Now to give Nick credit, unlike a lot of analysts, he actually knows the history of the game and uses it as a guide for his future predictions. Where he gets into trouble though, is kind of bending NBA history to fit a certain narrative for him in the moment. Case in point, the Mavericks winning the championship. And looking back at that graphic, what's sneaky about this, it says top three MVP voting at any point in their careers. Now why is that misleading? For example, Tim Duncan in 2014 was 38 years old and finished 12th in MVP voting. Now technically speaking, this Spurs team doesn't qualify for Nick's graphic because Duncan in his prime was an MVP winner. And looking at other teams in history who aren't on this graphic, the Mavs in 2011 Dirk Nowitzki, I would say really kind of passed his prime, exiting his prime, as that year wasn't a top three MVP candidate. Paul Pearce in 08, the Files MVP, was 14th MVP voting. And Chauncey in 04 wasn't even top 20. And if you want to go back further in NBA history, Isaiah 1990 finished 13th in the voting. A9, even worse, finishing 17th. Going back to the late 70s, Dennis Johnson was unsealed, didn't get a single vote for the MVP. My overall point right here is pretty simple. First off, Nick's graphic, highly misleading and disingenuous. My second point, we've seen teams in really every era, the 70s, the late 80s, early 90s, especially the 2000s. Win championships by a quote-unquote guy and a top three player. Is it harder to do that? I would say yes, but it's been done numerous times in various eras. And speaking of championship teams, one of Nick's big-time narratives going into the finals as to why Boston wouldn't win the championship is because the road to the finals quote, was weak and a cakewalk. Like I don't think that they are ready for this difficulty jump, that they're about to deal with, and that's not their fault. The Celtics come into these finals, one of seven teams in NBA history under the current playoff format in an 82-game season, to never face a 50-win team. And those sub-50-win teams they played were all injured. Meanwhile, the Mavs come into these finals, we can show you, having played one of the hardest paths by how many wins the other team has in NBA history. So stopping that right there, Nick's overall point at the beginning, I don't disagree with. Boston's road to the finals, it was historically weak. The first round Miami, minus Butler. Second round Mitchell, played what, two games? And the East Finals, Halliburton, played a game and a half. I mean historically speaking for any era, that is pretty weak. But where you lose me to go over the edge, is saying that weak road to the finals was proof that Dallas would win the championship. And trying to juxtapose Dallas' run to the finals, it being so difficult, so hard, as my proof they would win. It's equally as stupid. And what I immediately go to, is the 1980s Boston vs. LA. As the 80s West, for Lakers, really every single year, was a cakewalk and was a red carpet run to the finals. So what am I saying? The Lakers road to the finals, yes, it was weak. But still that Lakers team, they were a great team and when they got to the finals, handled their business. I mean look at some of these roads to the finals in the mid 80s. 1985, the Suns who won 36 games. Second round the Blazers, barely above .500. And the West Finals Denver, who was barely a 50 win team. 1987, the first round yet again, a below .500 squad in the Denver Nuggets. Second round, the Warriors, again, barely above .500. And the West Finals the Sonics, who didn't crack 40 wins. Despite LA's weak road to the finals, their weak Western Conference, nobody said this team wasn't a great team or an all-time dominant team historically. And looking at this year's Celtics, are they on that Showtime Lakers type tier? No, not even close. But them playing in a weak conference, having an easy road to the finals, doesn't mean that team collectively isn't a great team. Now the last point I will make, why Boston was the perceived underdog but also the favorite going into finals, I think is for a couple of reasons. Dallas, kind of the hot team, the hot topic. Luka, Kyrie, much more flash exciting than Taben Brown. And quite frankly, Boston all year long, where they win by 30, 40, even 50. Well, yeah, they won this game, they were dominant. But can they win the championship or make the finals? And look, that's fair. Be this Celtics team from game one. Their goal was making the finals and winning the championship. And if they pull this championship off, they beat Dallas. It'd be one of the least dramatic championships in recent history. Not because of opponents played, with Boston as a team. They're kind of boring, kind of vanilla, and just kind of stay the path and only play basketball. So that right there is the end of the video. As always, thank you guys for watching. Hope you enjoyed it. I'll see you next time.