Why we love sports: A rooting guide for the 2024 NBA Finals

The reason we follow the NBA is here. The motivation for going through an 82-game regular season starts today. It's the best time to be an NBA fan. It's when the stage is the biggest, the coverage is the largest, the lights shine the brightest, and legacies are defined.

The NBA Finals are upon us, and there's plenty of excitement to pass around. On one side, the Dallas Mavericks are searching for their first title since 2011, and have their own set of circumstances that can make it as special as that title win 13 years ago, On the other side, the Boston Celtics look to complete their dominant season with their 18th NBA championship, which would put them over the Lakers for most titles won.

For those of us who don't have a dog in the race, some tremendous basketball is promised, with star coaches, role players and leaders. From cementing legacies, injury comebacks, proving people wrong and finishing stories, there's a lot to play for on both sides. So, the question is: Who to root for? While you may not become fans of a team, you may at least secretly want one team to win over the other.

If you're one of those people, looking for reasons to cheer for either side in the NBA Finals, the following is for you.

Why you should root for the Boston Celtics

The Celtics are the team of destiny. They've been a juggernaut in the Eastern Conference for close to a decade now, having been to six Conference Finals in the last eight seasons, and three in a row. This season, they finished a dominant regular season, boasting the best starting lineup in the league, with a deep rotation that complements each other on both ends of the court. While you could argue their road has been easier than it could've been (I would say every champion in sports history needs some sort of luck), it doesn't take away from the fact that they still had to get the job to not be a laughing stock, and they have. The only way their dominant season is viewed as a success is if they win this series. It's do or die, and seeing a group potentially fulfill their destiny is cool.

It would be cool to see Joe Mazzulla lead this team to a title in just his second season with the franchise. He's currently the youngest coach in the NBA at 35 years old (tied with Will Hardy of the Utah Jazz) and became the youngest coach since Bill Russell in 1969 to make it to the Finals. The circumstances were less than ideal, as he took over for Ime Udoka after he led the Celtics to a 51-31 campaign in 2022 where it seemed like they had unlocked the Jays together and were playing with a new swagger, which led them to also made the Finals, but losing to the Golden State Warriors.

It would be cool for their trio of key bench pieces to win the big one. Luke Kornet had to battle for Division-I colleges to pay attention to him and went through four teams in six seasons before finding a role as Boston's dependable third big, and a decent second when one has been hurt or needed rest (and his contributions as a defensive innovator shall not go unnoticed). Sam Hauser went undrafted in 2021 and had to work his way into the Celtics rotation before becoming a lethal sharpshooter and a dependable defender.

Payton Pritchard has always been doubted because of his frame, and even requested a trade this offseason after getting lost in the shuffle last season, but the Celtics bet on him by trading away Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon, giving him an extension before the season began and making him the third guard. He's proved the bet was worth it, as he's been one of the best backups this season, providing steady ball-handling, shooting, and extra effort (ranks second this season in offense rebounds for players listed 6-foot-4 and shorter at 70, one shy of Collin Sexton's 71).

It would be super cool to see Al Horford, who's played the third most games for any player without winning a championship (181, behind John Stockton's 182 and Karl Malone's 193), and the most underrated example of longevity in the NBA to finally win an NBA championship to accompany his back-to-back NCAA championships. Few from Latin America make it as big as he has, and the Dominican is on the cusp of doing the biggest thing possible, it's especially cool to see after many saw his value very low after he signed a four-year, $109 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019, where he only lasted one season and also played 28 games with the Oklahoma City Thunder before being shut down for tanking purposes and getting moved to Boston again.

It would be awesome to see their starting backcourt, one of the most tenacious defensive tandems in the league in recent memory, get their dues with a title. For Jrue Holiday, it would be his second championship as the piece that elevated the team he was traded to to win a title in his first season with them. For Derrick White, who's evolved from a super good role player to borderline All-Star by becoming a knock-down shooter who isn't a liability on offense anymore, he would win his first championship.

It would be the conclusion of a fascinating redemption arc for Kristaps Porzingis, who returns for Game 1 of the Finals after missing the last 10 games. He's been hampered by injuries, only being able to play at least 60 games in three of his nine seasons, and none with at least 70 since his rookie season. He will get a chance to do so against a team, the Mavs, where he didn't have the best role, and now is the difference maker for Boston. He was dubbed the future of the league, went to afterthought after many injuries and doubts about his future as a starting center on a good team, but now has a chance of silencing all those doubts.

And, for the love of everything holy, wouldn't it be phenomenal to see their dynamic star duo finally do the thing? For years, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been put in trade rumors because they didn't fit well and Boston couldn't win a championship with both of them. If they lose a second Finals, those rumors will certainly continue when Tatum has his player option in two seasons. But, if they win, it would finally put all of those discussions to bed.

Brown wasn't initially panning out as a good pick after being selected third overall in 2016, and a lot of questions were raised after he signed the largest contract in NBA history, but he's answered all of them by still playing at an elite level. He's also shined as a black activist in Boston, which has a dark history (pun not intended) of accepting its black athletes.

Tatum, though he's one of the most consistently great playoff performers we have in the game right now, has gotten criticized every step of the way for his apparent lack of showing up in big moments. He can finally put all that talk to bed by leading the Celtics to a championship (even though I'm certain that he'll still get some flak for not winning the Conference Finals MVP and Lord forbid he has an inconsistent Finals outing, but we'll cross that bridge if we get there).

Why you should root for the Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks are the underdogs of the series and have arguably been underdogs their entire playoff run. Notably, they've had to play the two teams with the best records in the West (Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves) in the last two rounds. They had an inconsistent season with many injuries to key role players, but in the process had players step up to be better prepared for a postseason run. That, along with having the most unstoppable offensive duo in the league and acquiring reinforcements at the trade deadline, fueled them to make their first Finals in over a decade.

It would be cool for the lone remainder of that last championship team, now coach Jason Kidd, to lead the Mavericks to another title. He would become just the eighth person to win a championship as a player and coach with the same franchise. For years, Kidd was in a seat that would get hot yearly, but now seems to be getting his flowers as someone who has managed stars well, kept his role players motivated, has led good defenses at every stop he's been in and could get the ultimate payoff by winning a championship.

It would be a great reward for Dwight Powell to win a championship. He started playing basketball as a coincidence and held the center position for Dallas down for the last seven seasons playing at least 16 minutes per game and at least 76 games in five of those seasons. Before Dallas made upgrades at the position, Powell was dependable as a post defender, tenacious rebounder, screener and lob threat, which was needed for them to improve in other positions and be in the position to make the ultimate upgrades they made this year. With a championship, along with becoming the sixth Maverick in history to play 10 seasons with the franchise, and passing J.J. Barea for fifth all-time in games played with them, he'll be in serious conversations of "Top five players in Dallas Mavericks history."

For someone who by all metrics was a 'draft bust' in his first stint in the NBA, it would be cool for Dante Exum to finish his bounce-back season with a championship. Through injuries, lack of outside shooting and inconsistencies with his on-ball offensive repertoire, Exum had to go overseas to refine his game before getting a second chance in the NBA, and he thrived with the Mavericks when they needed someone to step up amidst injuries in the middle of their season.

Two other mainstays from the past Mavericks' Conference Finals appearance in 2022 (a loss to the Warriors), Maxi Kleber and Josh Green, are international players who have at times filled shoes far too big for them, but have done so with flying colors (for the most part) and are on the precipice of having their sacrifices being validated with a championship ring. Kleber is just returning from a right shoulder injury that's cost him the majority of these playoffs and does so with a much-reduced burden that he had to carry for a while.

Like Powell, Kleber filled a position that probably wasn't the best for him, in his case being their main 3-and-D player tasked with defending the opposition's best perimeter wing. He did so to the best of his capabilities, being above average on defense and average as a shooter until the team could improve in that department. For Green, he had a career year this season, becoming a respectable shooter and, like Exum, being key when the team had injuries. He moved to America at 14 years old to pursue the dream of playing in the NBA, and he's four wins away from going one step further and winning a title.

Derrick Jones Jr. also bet on himself, by declining his $3.4 million player option with the Chicago Bulls, instead signing a deal for less money (one-year, $2.7 million) with a contending team in hopes of showing off he can be a key cog in a deep postseason run. He's done just that, likely earning himself a payday this offseason, developing from someone who was just consistent at dunking to becoming a great perimeter defender with the Miami Heat, and now a consistent threat from deep that has been a difference maker for Dallas. Seeing him hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy would be a nice sight.

Their bigs have been difference-makers, all with their own stories that have led them to be the X-factors in their first season with the Mavericks. Their rookie, Dereck Lively II, who Dallas acquired via a tank job last season that their franchise player didn't appreciate, was the ideal center to pair with their Slovenian offensive engine as a good screener and quick lengthy lob threat. He's played great all season, no matter his role, and is doing so in the postseason after losing his mother at the end of the season. If Dallas wins it all, Lively II becoming champion would get us all in the feels.

From the bottom of the East to being the West's representatives in the Finals, as they'll let you know, Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington have had their moments of shine after being acquired at the trade deadline. Washington, in his first playoff run, is fulfilling his dream of playing for the Mavericks, and his shooting has made teams daring him to beat them to be on vacation currently. Gafford, like Lively, has been active on defense, and the perfect vertical threat for their pick-and-roll game, to the point where he at a given time made 33 straight field goals (two shy of the all-time record, set by Wilt Chamberlain), all at the rim. Both have been unlocked with Dallas, and it would be nice to see this turnaround end with a championship for both.

Seeing Kyrie Irving become a two-time champion might draw some mixed reactions. While it's been funny to see the recent discourse on the Irving trade from the Brooklyn Nets to Dallas, and how it's now seen as possibly one of the worst deals in NBA history, there's a reason his trade value was on the floor. There's no need to rehash everything that happened from 2018 through 2022, but the internet can inform you if you forgot or aren't aware. Regardless, staying positive, I believe in second chances (mostly), and I enjoy seeing Irving's (basketball) redemption arc to the point where it's at right now. Hopefully he keeps this going, and we'll be in for a tremendous victory lap if the Mavs win, and would be hilarious considering he's playing the Celtics.

And, finally, a Luka Doncic-led team winning a championship would be a cherry on top for Dallas and the way they built this team. Just a few seasons ago, even after making the Conference Finals, the future of the Mavericks as contenders seemed shaky, as the Irving trade wasn't paying many dividends, and their upgrades on the margins weren't that great. The viability of their offense as it was playing out (heliocentrism, or whatever the cool kids call it) was hotly debated.

But, Doncic has improved on both ends, giving the ball up more for Irving, getting more unstoppable on offense, and being solid on defense. The time is now to win for Dallas and for Doncic. If they're successful, and Doncic has a good series against this Celtics team, on top of everything he's accomplished in the NBA and overseas before getting there, his Hall of Fame case may already be made.

The team of destiny or the underdog?

There are good arguments to cheer for either side. Everyone loves a good underdog story, which the Mavs are. But, while not as compelling, it's still nice to see a team finish a storybook season in a good way. Supporting either side is valid. It'll obviously (wishful thinking) be a good series on the court, with plenty of adjustments to be analyzed, great plays for the casuals, and narratives for ratings and clicks. But, above all, human beings having the most to play for they've ever had in their career will be performing, and that will be the true beauty of it all.

Regardless of who wins, about who hot takes are flying the next day, keep in mind that, when it's all set and done, someone won something meaningful.

May the best team win. I'll be happy regardless. You should be too.