Boston, MA
Boston Celtics in 6 games over the Dallas Mavericks: What to watch for in the NBA Finals
Mavericks, Celtics clash in 2024 NBA Finals
The 2024 NBA Finals are set. Will Jayson Tatum and the Celtics surpass the Lakers for most titles won, or will Luka and the Mavs bring home Dallas’ first championship since 2011?
Sports Seriously
The Boston Celtics should win this year’s NBA Finals over the Dallas Mavericks.
Led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, they have the league’s best record.
The Celtics are the best 3-point shooting team in terms of makes and boast one of the top defenses led by two NBA All-Defensive selections in Derrick White and Jrue Holiday.
They just have one problem. Well, two – Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Those two can break down any defense and close the close games like no others in the NBA.
I’m still predicting the Celtics to win in six games, but it should be a great series that begins Thursday in Boston at 5:30 p.m. (Arizona time), on ABC. Love the coaching matchup between Joe Mazzulla, the 35-year-old coaching wiz, and Jason Kidd, one of the all-time greats as an NBA player who is proving he also can coach at the highest level.
Here are five things to watch in the finals:
Pick-and-roll defense
Holiday, White, Brown and Tatum enable Boston to switch on the perimeter, but Holiday and Brown also take pride in guarding their man through the screen.
Interested in seeing who takes on the challenge of guarding Doncic and Irving. Thinking White checks Irving and Holiday guards Doncic when looking at the size Dallas has with P.J. Washington and Derrick Jones Jr., but maybe Boston decides to put White on, say, Jones Jr. and has Brown guard Doncic.
However, the Mavs will target Kristaps Porzingis, who is returning from a right calf strain suffered in Game 4 of Boston’s first round series against Miami, and Al Horford, who struggles at times defending the pick-and-roll.
It’s tough enough guarding Doncic and Irving one-on-one, but if they’re able to play downhill with Porzingis and Horford being the last line of defense, uh oh. Boston must present consistent perimeter resistance whether it’s trapping Doncic or Irving, ball denial or just straight up man-to-man defense.
If the 3 isn’t falling
Boston not only led the NBA in 3-pointers made per game in the regular season at 16.5, but also in attempts at 42.5. They’re the only team in the league to hoist 40-plus.
Nothing has changed in the postseason. The Celtics once again are first in the playoffs in made 3s at 14.6 and launched ones at 39.8, but they failed to reach those numbers in their two postseason defeats.
Game 2 vs. Miami (L, 108-101) – 12-of-32 from 3.
Game 2 vs. Cleveland (L, 118-94) – 8-of-35 from 3.
The Mavericks were 18th in defensive rating in the regular season at 114.9, as teams shot 36.8% against them from 3. They’ve improved those numbers in the playoffs – seventh (out of 16 teams) in defensive rating at 111.1 with opponents connecting on 35.6% of their 3s.
Can the Mavs continue that trend against the NBA’s top 3-point team?
Tatum settling?
Boston generates great catch-and-shoot looks off ball movement, but takes its share off the bounce starting with Tatum. He has a frequency of 11.3 on 3s with zero dribbles and 9.9 on seven-plus dribbles.
He’s shooting 25% from deep in both cases.
Tatum has taken 274 shots in the playoffs with 100 coming from 3. He’s only made 29 of those 3s, but the All-NBA first team selection is a career 37.5% shooter from deep.
Being 6-8 with handles, Tatum could be just as much as a matchup problem for Dallas as Irving and Doncic will be for Boston. He’s attempting 7.9 free throws in the playoffs, the most of any player in the finals. An attacking Tatum is a problem, but it’s on him to consistently have that mentality.
Extra motivation
Brown is considered Tatum’s Robin.
No worries. The Celtics know how important he is, but not making All-NBA has Brown in even more of a show-and-prove mode.
Now, that can work in two ways. Brown can either come out and play his best basketball or try to do too much at the expense of the team and turning the ball over.
Winning Eastern Conference Finals MVP brings him some validation. Winning an NBA championship will add to that, but there’s a fine line between wanting to answer doubters and playing your role.
Brown’s approach to the series is just as important as how he plays in it.
Which role players will step up?
Holiday is the first name that comes to mind. He’s not only won an NBA title, but Holiday provides what is required of him to help the Celtics.
Defend one game. Score the next. Hit the open shot.
For Dallas, Daniel Gafford and rookie Dereck Lively II are lob threats on offense, but they must defend the paint to the point the Celtics, particularly Brown, aren’t getting straight-line drives to the rim.
It’s not always about blocking the shot. Altering them is just as effective.
One more – Doncic time
He made All-NBA first team for a fifth consecutive time after leading the NBA in scoring this season at 33.9 points a game. Finished third in the MVP voting.
Hit the most exciting shot of the playoffs in Game 2 at Minnesota – an icy, mean-mugging stepback 3 over now four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, 7-footer Rudy Gobert, with three seconds left to complete a comeback win and give Dallas a 2-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals.
The word ‘superstar’ is used too loosely these days, but Doncic is one of them in the league. He controls pace without having tremendous speed or quickness, facilitates, rebounds and delivers in the clutch.
The only thing he’s not is an NBA champion.
Doncic is four wins away from that surrounded by his best collection of teammates since coming into the NBA with the best version of Irving on a redemption tour to show how great of a player he is.
Boston isn’t going to give him the championship. Doncic is going to have to earn it.
That’s what the greatest ones have done. It’s on you, Luka. Make it happen.
Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.
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Although interim manager Chad Tracy planned to be aggressive with his bullpen in the series finale north of the border, Bello wasn’t able to escape the fourth inning as the Red Sox
A man who confessed to a 46-year-old Back Bay murder has pleaded guilty to the horrific cold case.
John Irmer, 71, entered a guilty plea for first-degree murder, which comes with a mandatory life sentence, according to the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office.
Irmer walked into an FBI office in Portland, Oregon, in 2023 to confess to killing a red-haired woman he’d met around Halloween in 1979 at a skating rink in Boston.
According to the DA’s office, Irmer told the FBI that after the meeting he’d walked into an apartment on Beacon Street that was under renovation with the victim, who turned out to be 24-year-old Susan Rose. Once inside, he said picked up a hammer, hit Rose on the head with it, killing her, then raped her. The next day, Oct. 30, Irmer said he left the state the next day for New York, while a construction crew found Rose’s body and a lot of blood.
Rose had been planning on dressing as “Dracula’s helper” for Halloween, borrowing a cape from a friend that she was wearing at the time of her death, according to a Herald article published the day after she was found.
A Boston Police detective described the killing as one of the most “vicious” he’d ever seen, telling Herald reporters whoever did it was a “real psycho.”
Another man had been tried for Rose’s murder a few months after the crime took place and was acquitted. In 2005, police reexamined evidence in the case and made a DNA profile from sperm found on a broom at the crime scene. Investigators found the DNA could not have been from the defendant in the first trial, the DA’s office said.
The FBI in Oregon reached out to Boston Police, who flew detectives across the country to interview Irmer. He told them that after becoming sober and finding religion during a prison stint in California for another killing, he felt he needed to confess to Rose’s murder.
During the interview, Irmer told police detailed information about Rose’s killing and confessed to another murder that took place in the South. According to the DA, investigators are also investigating that case.
In court Monday, Rose’s sister gave what the DA called an “emotional” impact statement, holding a photo of Rose when she was a first-grader.
Rose’s sister said she went by the nickname “Susie,” and was “caring, intelligent, adventuresome, and curious.”
“Now we know that my sister’s life was taken by John Irmer, but he also ruined the lives of my parents and me,” she said.
“The answers for Susan Rose’s sister and friends finally came today, though after a very long and sad period of time,” Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden said in a statement. “I hope other families affected by John Irmer’s murderous behavior find similar answers.”
Incident Summary
BPD responded to 247 incidents in the 24-hour period ending at 10 a.m. Wednesday, according to the department’s incident log. Those included six robberies, four aggravated assaults, two residential burglaries, two larcenies from a vehicle, 16 miscellaneous larcenies, and three auto thefts.
Arrests
All of the below-named defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
— Jonathan Price, 120 Capen St., Dorchester. Assault.
— Alfred Velazquez, 68 Alexander St., Boston. Disorderly conduct.
— Nyasha Callistro, 342 Blue Ledge Dr., Roslindale. Operating under the influence of liquor.
— Vincent Evan, 122 Blue Hill Ave., Milton. Shoplifting more than $100 by asportation.
— Zane Frias, 41 Brush Hill Rd., Yarmouth. Shoplifting more than $100 by asportation.
— Darrell Seeley, no address listed. Larceny over $1,200.
— Tamerat Edelstein-Rosenberg, 31 Athelwold St., Dorchester. Possession of a firearm without an FID card.
— Anthony Isemond, 562 Walk Hill St., Mattapan. Carrying a firearm without a license.
— Pablo Pesantes, 110-112 Southampton St., Roxbury. Trespassing.
— Abosi Bond, 63 Putnam St., Somerville. Resisting arrest.
News
Ellie Ayati-Jian and Jaine Davies, two Greater Boston milliners, are raising the brim—and the bar.
Pretty in pink, blue, and yellow and festooned with ribbon, feathers, and a bold flower, this fascinator was created by Ellie Jian Millinery. / Photo by Steph Larsen / Styling by Abby Brenc for Anchor Artists
At spring events like the Kentucky Derby and Boston’s own “hat luncheon,” the Emerald Necklace Conservancy’s annual Party in the Park, hats have long shaped the conversation—an expected flourish of brim and bloom marking the start of the season. In recent years, however, the role of the hat has evolved, from celebratory flourish to considered craft.
Leading that charge locally is Ellie Jian Millinery, the Newton studio founded by Ellie Ayati-Jian. Trained in architecture and interior design, Ayati-Jian brings a structural sensibility to her work, approaching millinery less as ornament and more as wearable design. Her hats—ranging from floral fascinators to structured couture pieces—are engineered with intention, balancing form, proportion, and comfort. “What drew me in was the energy and sense of community around derby events,” Ayati-Jian says. “They bring together fashion, tradition, and celebration in a very social way.” That social element remains central to her work: She’s a familiar presence at Boston events, often modeling her own designs to show how even bold headpieces can feel approachable.
This Ellie Jian Millinery pink fascinator is anchored by deep blue handmade flower. / Photo by Steph Larsen / Styling by Abby Brenc for Anchor Artists
Ayati-Jian’s creative process begins not with sketching, but with research—architecture, art, fashion history, or a client’s personal story—until a concept emerges. She often spends days gathering visual references before touching a single material, allowing a narrative to emerge before form takes shape. From there, she shapes and refines her hats by hand.
Ayati-Jian says toppers incorporating clean shapes, softer brims, and sculptural forms are now trending—which, given the city’s fashion predilections, is a big advantage. “Boston style is generally more conservative, and I think that works beautifully with this direction,” she says. “Bostonians appreciate quality, craftsmanship, and timeless design.”
The “Monaco” by IndigoHats is made of silk with a peacock feather. / Photo courtesy of Jaine Davies/IndigoHats
She’s not the only one taking advantage of the recent hat craze. Raised in England near a major horse race, Jaine Davies, whose millinery studio, IndigoHats, is based on the South Shore, grew up immersed in a culture where hats signaled occasion. Her ideas often begin in a small notebook she carries everywhere, filled with details spotted at museum exhibitions and in historical garments. “Couture runway shows are really important to study,” says Davies, who observes the season’s designer dresses closely, translating their colors, embroidery, and silhouettes into hats ready for her studio. She handblocks each piece on traditional wooden forms and sews every hat by hand, pairing time-honored techniques with an adventurous use of materials. Alongside classic straws, Davies works with Dupioni silks, richly patterned textiles, beadwork, and meticulously crafted feather flowers designed to be as light as they are dramatic.
For Davies, drama and discipline go hand in hand. “I want to wow from a distance and impress close up with how well made they are,” she says. Indeed, her hats accomplish exactly that.
The shop’s “Aster” is a pillbox style with quills and sophisticated veiling. / Photo courtesy of Jaine Davies/IndigoHats
This article was first published in the print edition of the April 2026 issue, with the headline,“Head First.”
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