How many times have the Dallas Mavericks made it to the NBA finals?

The Dallas Mavericks are on the brink of reaching the 2024 NBA Finals after racing into a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves. As predicted, Luka Doncic and Kyle Irving have been the stars of the series, which has been closer than the current scoreline would suggest, particularly in Games 1 and 2.

The Mavs rallied in the final quarter to win the opening two match-ups by three points and one point respectively, while the teams were tied at the end of the third quarter in Sunday’s Game 3, only for Jason Kidd’s men to pull clear at the end and eventually emerge victorious by nine.

Another triumph in Game 4 at American Airlines Center will see Dallas complete a sweep of the Timberwolves, 24 hours after the Boston Celtics did the same to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Mavericks’ previous NBA Finals

A championship series clash between the Mavericks and the Celtics would bring together two teams with vastly contrasting fortunes in the history of the NBA Playoffs.

Dallas have only ever reached the NBA Finals on two occasions in their 44-year history. In 2006, Dirk Nowitzki led the team to the Western Conference title against the Phoenix Suns but they fell at the final hurdle to the Miami Heat, who were inspired by MVP Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O’Neal.

Five years later in 2011, however, came the Mavs’ biggest achievement to date. Nowitzki was the star once more as Dallas defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Conference Finals to set up a rematch against the Heat. This time, the Texans gained their revenge, winning in six games for their first and only NBA Championship so far.

Celtics bidding to becoming most successful NBA team

The Celtics, by contrast, have qualified for their 23rd NBA Finals, second only to the Los Angeles Lakers, who have appeared on 32 occasions.

It should be noted, though, that both teams have won 17 NBA Championships, meaning the Celtics (77.3%) have a far superior win percentage to the Californians (53.1%).

Boston boasted by far the best regular-season record (64-18) in 2023/24, which means they have long been most people’s favourites to win a record 18th championship.