Watch the first match of the NBA Finals live on BBC One as Kristaps Porzingis and Kyrie Irving return to their former sides with the Championship on the line.
Watch the first match of the NBA Finals live - the Boston Celtics take on the Dallas Mavericks in the early hours of Friday morning on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, and the BBC Sport website and appAs the curtain rises on the opening game of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks, two players will face their former sides in the hope of lifting the Larry O'Brien trophy.
It will be a culmination of a season's worth of blood, sweat, and tears - made even spicier by the two returning stars.The Boston Celtics have endured 16 years of near-misses, what-ifs and heartbreaking close encounters, moments that have conditioned their fans to brace for the worst.Kristaps Porzingis was drafted number four by the New York Knicks in 2015
Porzingis never clicked alongside superstar Luka Doncic during his time at Dallas, but his development since leaving in 2022 could come back to haunt them as he returns from injury after missing the play-offs so far. It's a defensive scheme they haven't frequently employed so far in the play-offs and his presence behind the arc will create space for stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to exploit, potentially stretching the Mavericks.The Celtics have lost only two games in the play-offs, beating both the injury-depleted Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1, before dominating the Indiana Pacers with a 4-0 sweep in the Eastern Conference finals.
His departure from Boston in 2019 left a sour taste for many fans, who he'd initially told he would sign a new deal, before his relationship with the organisation worsened, ending with a trade to the Brooklyn Nets.
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