Vendetta Roundtable: Who is the biggest X-Factor for Mavericks in 2024 NBA Finals?

Vendetta Roundtable: Who is the biggest X-Factor for Mavericks in 2024 NBA Finals?

The 2024 NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks is officially here! Before the series, I asked them a series of questions–that I will also answer–regarding the series. Let’s go over Mavericks X-Factors! (To see who we have for our biggest Celtics X-Factor, click here).

If the Dallas Mavericks want to secure their second-ever NBA Title, who is their biggest X-Factor? Let’s see what the crew says:

Jiarmani: Kyrie Irving

All this talk of Irving growing and maturing in Dallas will be put to the test in a finals series with Boston. Can he actually put all that growth together to finally beat Boston once again?

Trey: PJ Washington

PJ Washington should be the answer. The Mavericks got rid of Grant Williams because they didn’t think he was good enough. One thing Grant Williams was good at was hitting open corner threes. Will Washington hit his shots from the outside while providing a balanced attack and being tasked with guarding one of these superstar wings? That’s the question. 

James Moore: Kyrie Irving

It’s Kyrie. The pressure and narrative surrounding him is huge. He’s going up against the team he was supposed to lead to greatness. This is going to be the test for him. Can he help deliver a championship without LeBron, like he was supposed to do for the Celtics?

Vendetta Roundtable: Who is the biggest X-Factor for Celtics in 2024 NBA Finals?

Chickster: Dereck Lively II

How he is able to contribute on the offensive side and able to contain Porzingis on the defensive side will be the difference in this series. If Lively can defend KP on the perimeter while still being able to protect the rim and rebound, the Mavericks have a chance.

Matt: Kyrie Irving

I’m not a narrative person, so this won’t be about the Irving-Boston narrative. From a pure basketball perspective, Boston has arguably the best defensive backcourt in the NBA and will be, by far, Irving’s toughest test to date. He will see a combination of Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White–three exceptional defenders with different builds and defensive skillsets–thrown onto him at different points. For as good as he was against Minnesota, he may need to replicate that against Boston–a completely different challenge.

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