Starting 5, June 6: What to know as NBA Finals begin – NBA.com

The Celtics and Mavericks open the 2024 NBA Finals tonight in Boston. Here's everything you need to know before tipoff.
Here. We. Gooooooo.
Finals Game 1 tips tonight.

THE LINEUP 🏀
What’s inside today’s edition? 
Game 1 in 1 minute: Everything you need to know before the 2024 Finals tip-off
Celtics Media Day: Hear from Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday & Joe Mazzulla
Mavs Media Day: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Daniel Gafford & Jason Kidd meet with the press
On the ground: Behind the scenes in Boston & a Starting 5-only interview with Finals correspondent Jabari Smith Jr.
Best of Game 1s: Look back at the top plays and moments from Game 1s of past Finals
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Just hours left til the NBA Finals …

🏆 Game 1 Tonight: The chase for the Larry O’Brien Trophy tips tonight in Boston (8:30 ET, ABC)
📝 Finals Checklist: Need to get ready for Finals Game 1? We made this checklist for you.
🎤 Mic’d Up: Dallas’ Luka Doncic and Boston’s Jayson Tatum will be mic’d up for Game 1
🏀 A’ja Did What?! A’ja Wilson dropped the 1st 35+ pts, 10+ reb, 5+ stl game in WNBA history
1. GAME 1 IN 1 MINUTE

Today’s the day.
Mavs. Celtics. Game 1 of the NBA Finals (8:30 ET, ABC).
Find everything you need to know ahead of tonight’s tip-off below – and welcome to the biggest stage in basketball.

NBA Finals Epicenter
2. CELTICS MEDIA DAY

Focus.
The Celtics – who will be at full strength tonight with Kristaps Porzingis off the injury report – preached focus the day before Game 1 of the Finals.
Two years ago, Mazzulla was a Boston assistant when the Cs fell to the Warriors in the 2022 Finals. Now, it’s Mazzulla’s team – and he and his players feel they’ve grown from the loss.

Championship DNA: Jrue Holiday – who won the 2021 NBA Finals with the Bucks – was not on that 2022 Celtics team, but believes this year’s squad has what it takes to finish the job, and Brown agrees.
Holiday put a wrap on Celtics Media Day with a laugh, offering a simple, one-word answer on how to stop Kyrie Irving.
3. MAVS MEDIA DAY

No player in this series has more Finals experience than Kyrie Irving, who is set to begin his fourth Finals. The Mavs have leaned on the veteran guard as they prepare for Game 1.

Full Circle Moment: The Wizards were headed to Boston when Daniel Gafford got the call that he had been traded to Dallas. Four months later, Gafford’s in Boston with his new team in the Finals.
4. ON THE GROUND AT THE FINALS

The Finals buzz is palpable, and a rising NBA star put boots on the ground at Media Day for exclusive coverage to NBA social and digital platforms.
Jabari Smith Jr. – the 3rd overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft – serves as the Finals Game 1 Player Correspondent. But before getting firsthand advice from Jayson Tatum, the Rockets forward sat down with us to share his thoughts on the series, exclusively for the Starting 5 fam.

The Best Of Media Day: The action didn’t stop with Jabari. Content Creator Tristan Jass added to the day’s excitement by joining him as a correspondent.
5. FINALS GAME 1s BEST MOMENTS

Before the Celtics and Mavs begin their own Finals story, we look back at some of the best moments, shots and performances from Game 1s of past NBA Finals. | Top Game 1 Plays: Before 2000 | Since 2000
1992: Michael Jordan caught fire from deep, draining a then-record six 3s in the 1st half against Portland. A 27% 3-point shooter that season, Jordan could only shrug as the 3s continued to fall.
1995: Houston’s Kenny Smith hit the clutch 3 to force overtime before Hakeem Olajuwon won the game with a tip-in with 0.3 seconds left in OT.
1981: Larry Bird showed off his instincts for the game as he rebounded his own miss, pulled off a midair hand switch and scored in one smooth movement to help Boston beat Houston 98-95.
2002: Kobe Bryant dunked over Todd MacCulloch for two of his 22 points in the Lakers’ 99-94 win. Peep current Mavs coach and then Nets PG Jason Kidd in the background.
2001: Isolated against Tyronn Lue in the corner, Allen Iverson used his signature crossover to create space for the game-sealing jumper with Lue falling at Iverson’s feet and AI pulling the Stepover on the way back.
1997: Michael Jordan hit the game-winning shot in Chicago’s 84-82 win over Utah. It is the latest game-winning shot at the buzzer in a Finals game.
2018: Steph Curry beat the halftime buzzer with a 38-foot triple – and counted out the points before heading to the locker room. Golden State needed every point in this OT classic because …
2018: … LeBron James (51 pts, 8 reb, 8 ast) had a game for the ages – scoring the second-most points in a Finals Game 1 (Jerry West: 53 in 1969) – in Cleveland’s OT loss to Golden State.
From NBA TV analyst Greg Anthony to NBA.com scribe Shaun Powell, see who our TNT Sports experts are picking in the Finals.
Offense. Defense. Historical trends. Breaking down 24 numbers that matter heading into the 2024 NBA Finals.
Breaking down the key factors in the upcoming clash between the Celtics and Mavericks for the 2023-24 NBA championship.
Tatum and Brown or Doncic and Irving? Breaking down which superstar pairing is poised to dominate the NBA Finals.
From NBA TV analyst Greg Anthony to NBA.com scribe Shaun Powell, see who our TNT Sports experts are picking in the Finals.
Offense. Defense. Historical trends. Breaking down 24 numbers that matter heading into the 2024 NBA Finals.
Breaking down the key factors in the upcoming clash between the Celtics and Mavericks for the 2023-24 NBA championship.
Tatum and Brown or Doncic and Irving? Breaking down which superstar pairing is poised to dominate the NBA Finals.
Led by Bryce McGowens' impressive showing and a big 3rd-quarter edge, Charlotte turns away Sacramento.
Jaylen Wells' clutch floater at the buzzer to lift Memphis past Philadelphia and Bryce McGowens dominates Sacramento.
OKC rookie Dillon Jones' nearly perfect night from the field paces the Thunder in 23-point win over Utah.
The No. 4 overall pick fills the box score to help San Antonio pull away from China in the 2nd half.
Harris, a professed Warriors fan, shook hands with the players, chatted briefly with LeBron James and others, and posed for a group photo with the team.
Memphis' rookie 2nd-round pick finishes with a game-high 27 points to help the Grizzlies rally back from an 18-point deficit.

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