2) Burn the Mavs with their 3-point shooting
The Celtics have outscored their opponents by 9.9 points per game from three-point range during the NBA Playoffs. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and essentially all of Boston’s main contributors can knock down treys if they are given space to work with.
Dallas is also a formidable team from distance, and Boston will have to stay hot. Although they defeated the Indiana Pacers in an Eastern Conference Finals sweep, there were moments when the Celtics did not shoot the ball well and became dependent on isolation opportunities.
As a result, both ball movement and the three-pointers that can result from solid passing will be important for Boston. They can not afford to become one dimensional against a Mavericks team who would not mind a “run and gun” series.