It would be hard to find an NBA team that has had higher expectations heaped upon it this season than the Boston Celtics.

After a disappointing loss to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals last year, the team retooled and brought in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to juice up what was already one of the stronger rosters in the league. It was clear this was a team that was set on winning a title.

Now, after winning 64 regular season games and losing only two games in the playoffs, the Celtics are playing in the NBA Finals once again.

They’ll have to face off against one of their toughest challenges yet in the Dallas Mavericks. And for a team that has been starving for an 18th banner for so long, there may be no better opportunity than now to get another ring.

A long road from 2022

To understand this Finals run, it’s best to rewind two years. Back then, under first-year head coach Ime Udoka, the Celtics made it to the Finals against the Golden State Warriors.

It was the first trip to the NBA’s biggest stage for Boston’s star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. And while Boston had an extremely talented roster, the institutional knowledge of Stephen Curry and company ultimately proved to be too much as Golden State took down Boston in six games.

The following year started with chaos, as the team suspended and ultimately parted ways with Udoka following an investigation that found multiple violations of team policies.

Joe Mazzulla was named interim head coach and earned the permanent title later that season.

All of that made for a turbulent couple of years. But heading into this year’s NBA Finals, the script has been reversed from 2022: Boston is one of the most stable programs in the league. And unlike their last trip to the finals, this team has the advantage of experience .

“This go around is a lot different. Obviously we’ve been there before, we came up short,” Jayson Tatum told the press over the weekend. “Great opportunity to make it to the Finals again. You don’t always get a second chance, so (we’re) really just looking at it as a second chance. And trying to simplify things as much as we can.”

A formidable foe in Dallas

The Dallas Mavericks made their way through the trenches of the Western Conference to earn a trip to the NBA Finals. The Luka Doncic-led Mavs took down the Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves—all teams seeded higher than they were—to make the championship round.

If Dallas beats the Celtics, it will become the second-lowest seed to win an NBA championship. And despite the heavy odds in favor of Boston, the duo of Doncic and former Celtic Kyrie Irving have proven more than capable of leading Dallas to big wins.

As Celtics Coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters over the weekend, this series goes beyond simple concepts of stopping a strong offensive attack.

“We’re not here to stop those guys—we’re here to play a complete game of basketball and have an understanding of how each possession has an effect on everything else,” he said. “They’re going to score. It’s what they do best. If we don’t take care of the things that are within our control, then that doesn’t put us in the best possible position to win.”

Old faces in new places

When Kyrie Irving left Boston for the Brooklyn Nets in 2019, there were some sore feelings among the Boston faithful.

Since then, there have been some tense moments: a spectator at TD Garden threw a water bottle at him, and in another instance Irving gave an obscene gesture to the Boston crowd.

Former Maverick Kristaps Porzingis may likely face some boos in Dallas as well. But with signs pointing to him being back after a prolonged absence, that would be music to the Celtics’ ears.

The big man, who hasn’t played since Game 4 of the first round of playoffs due to a calf injury, averaged over 20 points and seven rebounds a game during the regular season. If the Celtics can get a healthy Porzingis who puts up anywhere near that level of production, along with his ability to stretch the floor, this could be the year Boston finally breaks through.

Schedule

Boston will host Games 1 and 2 of the series at TD Garden on June 6 and June 9. Games 3 and 4 will be in Dallas on June 12 and June 14, but there will be watch parties at TD Garden for Celtics fans to attend locally for those road games. Tickets will be $18 in honor of the team’s quest for an 18th banner.

If necessary, games 5 and 7 would be back at TD Garden, and Game 6 would be in Dallas.