This Year's NBA Finals is a Tale of Two (Very Different) Routes

Sheer will vs. balance is the theme of this year's NBA finale, with two teams that are simultaneously intertwined yet extremely different in nature

We’re (almost) there.

After over 7 months of deliberation of decisions made, the proliferation of potential contenders, and discoveries of disappointing teams, we’ve made it — welcome to the NBA Finals, y’all.

When the Mavericks face off against the Boston Celtics on Thursday, it will be one of the more narratively-packed matchups that we’ve seen in years. And yet, both teams couldn’t have been more different, both in construction and in the routes they took to get here. Boston’s route has been characterized by what has seemingly been a cakewalk, while the Mavericks have had to fight tooth and nail to get to this point — it’s a contrast of styles that brings both teams together in a grand finale.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at what makes the two teams’ routes so vastly different, along with what it means for the Finals itself.