For the second time in the last four years, the Boston Celtics have reached the NBA Finals, with the champions of the Eastern Conference playing either the Dallas Mavericks or the Minnesota Timberwolves in the best-of-seven series.
Hopefully for Boston fans, this yearās finals will go better than the franchiseās last two appearances in the series, with the Cās losing in 2010 to the Los Angeles Lakers and to the Golden State Warriors in six games during the 2022 iteration of the league finals.
Game 1 is set for June 6. With 11 days until the start of the series, BetMassachusetts.com wanted to know what the results of long layoffs between recent series can tell us. Using Sports-Reference.com, we found that over the past two decades, only 5 teams have had an 11-day timeframe between winning the conference game and starting Game 1 of the NBA Finals. And 11 days is the longest waiting period in the past 20 years.
Note: The timeframe is counting the end date within the calculation.
Teams With 11 Days Between Conference Finals and NBA Finals
Season | Team | Finals Result |
2022-23 | Denver Nuggets | Won |
2018-19 | Golden State Warriors | Lost |
2016-2017 | Golden State Warriors | Won |
2014-15 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Lost |
2012-13 | San Antonio Spurs | Lost |
NBA Layoffs: Results in Finals After 11-Day Wait
Won NBA Finals | Lost NBA Finals |
40% | 60% |
Will Celtics Buck NBAās Recent Layoff Woes?
Since the 2013 NBA Finals, teams that entered the championship series with an 11-day layoff like the Celtics have not fared well in the final round, with two of the five going on to win the Larry OāBrien trophy, while three others fell by the wayside of history.
The teams that came out on top were last yearās Denver Nuggets and the 2017 Warriors, while the Warriors of 2019 were joined by the 2015 Cleveland Cavaliers and the 2013 San Antonio Spurs in losing during the NBA Finals.
Since 2000, Boston has posted a 1-2 series record in the NBA Finals, giving Celtics fans hope that Joe Mazzulla and his staff can get the franchise over the hump for the first time in a decade-and-a-half when the leagueās championship series wraps up next month.
Stick with BetMasssachusetts.com for the best deals across MA betting apps during the Finals.
USA Today photo by Trevor Ruszkowski.