Everything you need to know ahead of the 2024 NBA Finals

The Dallas Mavericks closed out the Western Conference Finals series on Thursday, setting the stage for a matchup with the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals.

The top-seeded Celtics punched their ticket to the title series with a four-game sweep of the No. 6 seed Indiana Pacers and have been prepping for the franchise's 23rd Finals appearance since Monday, when Boston sent Indiana home with a 105-102 road victory.

Fifth-seeded Dallas needed five games to oust the No. 3 Minnesota Timberwolves and get shorter rest compared to Boston ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, June 6.

Below YouBet provides you with everything you need to know ahead of the 2024 NBA Finals between the Celtics and Mavericks.

Celtics favored to win 18th NBA title

The league's best team in 2024, Boston is a -210 favorite to win the franchise's 18th NBA title and first since 2008. Led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics have been knocking at the door of another NBA championship, with six Eastern Conference Finals appearances since 2017, and look primed to finally get the job done once again in the Finals in 2024.

Boston will hold home-court advantage in the series, and it's a 6.5-point favorite in Game 1, with the total set at 214.5. However, the 2024 Finals are expected to be a hard-fought battle between the East and the West, with the odds (+220) favoring a Game 7 in the series.

You can also wager on the Over/Under on total games, with Over 5.5 favored at -150, as well as the correct score in the series, with Boston to win 4-1 the top choice on the odds board (+340), followed by a Celtics 4-3 series win, at +350.

How did each team reach the 2024 NBA Finals

Following an NBA-best 64-18 regular-season record, the Celtics earned the No. 1 seed in the East and quickly knocked off the eighth-seeded Miami Heat in five games in the first round of the postseason. In the Eastern Conference semifinals, Boston needed just five games to send the No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers home, before the Celtics swept the Pacers in the ECF.

The Mavericks owned the fifth-best regular-season record (50-32) in the West and secured the fifth seed in the conference in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. In the first round, Dallas beat the fourth-seeded Clippers in six games, then needed the same number of games to defeat the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. In the Western Conference Finals, the Mavericks went up 3-0 on the Timberwolves, then dropped Game 4 at home before trouncing the 'Wolves 124-103 in Game 5 on Thursday night.

Dallas has just one NBA championship (2011) from two prior appearances. The Mavs' first NBA title series was in 2006, when they fell to the Heat in six games.

Jayson Tatum the favorite for NBA Finals MVP

Behind Dallas' big win on Thursday was a 36-point performance by star guard Luka Doncic, who put up 20 points in the first quarter alone. The five-time NBA All-Star is the second choice (+190) on the odds board for NBA Finals MVP, behind Tatum, who's the -135 favorite for the award.

Third in the NBA Finals MVP odds is Jaylen Brown (+550), who just won the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals MVP, and Dallas guard Kyrie Irving is the fourth choice, at +1200 odds.

How to watch the 2024 NBA Finals

Below is the full schedule of the 2024 NBA Finals, with Game 1 taking place in Boston at TD Garden. The series will move to Dallas at American Airlines Center for Games 3 and 4, then will alternate between Boston and Dallas if the series goes beyond four games.

Game 1: Thursday, June 6 at 8:30 p.m. ET, at TD Garden (Broadcast on ABC, ESPN+)
Game 2: Sunday, June 9 at 8 p.m. ET, at TD Garden (Broadcast on ABC, ESPN+)
Game 3: Wednesday, June 12 at 8:30 p.m. ET, at American Airlines Center (Broadcast on ABC, ESPN+)
Game 4: Friday, June 14 at 8:30 p.m. ET, at American Airlines Center (Broadcast on ABC, ESPN+)
Game 5 (if necessary): Monday, June 17 at 8:30 p.m. ET, at TD Garden (Broadcast on ABC, ESPN+)
Game 6 (if necessary): Thursday, June 20 at 8:30 p.m. ET, at American Airlines Center (Broadcast on ABC, ESPN+)
Game 7 (if necessary): Sunday, June 23 at 8 p.m. ET, at TD Garden (Broadcast on ABC, ESPN+)