In this corner, there are the Boston Celtics, a team with one of the best net ratings in NBA history which clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference eons ago and has cruised through the first three rounds of the playoffs with just a pair of losses — despite being down one of its best players in Kristaps Porzingis.
In the other corner, there are the Dallas Mavericks, the fifth seed in the Western Conference that has survived a playoff gauntlet and defeated the Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Minnesota Timberwolves in hard-fought series despite never having home-court advantage.
The Celtics are understandably favored to emerge victorious in this season’s NBA Finals, which get underway Thursday in Boston. But at Fanatics Sportsbook, sports bettors are throwing their weight behind the Mavericks — not only to win Game 1, but the entire series.
“Since the Finals were announced, the Mavericks have gotten about 85% of the series tickets and 89% on the Game 1 moneyline,” Max Meyer, a senior editor at Fanatics, told on Monday. “I think the Celtics are getting the respect they deserve, but the public has seen the respective paths these teams have taken and the Mavs made two big in-season acquisitions. The public certainly thinks the Mavs are undervalued.”