The 2024 NBA Finals have arrived with Game 1 between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks tipping off on Thursday (8:30 p.m. ET on ABC) at TD Garden.
The Celtics are looking for their 18th NBA championship, while the Mavericks hunt for their second.
Boston finished the regular season 64-18. If the Celtics win the championship, it will mark the first time the team with the highest win percentage in the regular season clinched the title since the Golden State Warriors in 2016-17, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Dallas is the fifth No. 5 seed or worse to reach the NBA Finals since seeding began in 1984. The Mavericks could become the first No. 5 seed to win the title.
From Jaylen Brown practicing a Boston accent to TD Garden supplying color coordinated shirts, the scene in Boston was set hours before Game 1.
TD Garden laid out color coordinated shirts on the seats for pregame spelling out 18, “BOS” and 617, the primary area code for Boston.
The shirts read “You got Boston.”