Celtics could turn NBA Finals matchup with Mavericks on its head with a potential lineup tweak

The Boston Celtics will host the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals, a series in which one team’s decade-plus championship drought will end. Dallas, led by star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, will win its first title in 13 years if it can secure four victories over Boston — which has not won an NBA championship since 2008.

But the Celtics have been playing shorthanded for much of the postseason, making their romp through the Eastern Conference this year even more impressive. Yet, the return of one of the team’s star players could throw the Mavericks‘ defensive plans into disarray right at the start of the series.

Porzingis set to make his return

It has been 36 days since Kristaps Porzingis played a game for the Celtics. For the past several weeks, Porzingis has been recovering from a calf strain as Boston racked up a 12-2 record through the East playoffs to reach the Finals. The Celtics did not evidently miss Porzingis — without the Latvian sharpshooter, Boston won nine of 10 playoff games, four of them by at least 15 points.

But Porzingis is now set to return for Game 1 on Thursday night after completing a number of scrimmages, adding another weapon to the Celtics‘ imposing arsenal of shooters.

During media availability on Tuesday, Porzingis slyly indicated that he was largely pain-free, although it is not yet known for sure whether the former Maverick will come off the bench or immediately return to coach Joe Mazzulla‘s starting lineup.

In 57 regular-season games, Porzingis averaged 20 points per game and shot a career-best 52 percent from the field. He was also one of seven Celtics to make at least 100 3-pointers, and he finished only behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in points scored, a snapshot into his overall impact in his first year in Boston.