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East Finals - Game 1Series starts 5/21

Will the Tatum/Brown-era Celtics finally prove their toughness?

Historically, when the Celtics have been great, they win -- and win fast. All Celtics superstars win titles -- except (so far) the group led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

9hHoward Bryant
Illustration by ESPN

Experts predict Celtics-Pacers, Wolves-Mavs conference finals and series MVPs

Our experts make their picks for each conference finals matchup and each series' MVP.

1dESPN

    TOP HEADLINES

    THE TIME IS NOW FOR CELTICS

    Shannon Sharpe: Celtics will not get easier path than what they have now

    7h
    0:56

    How much pressure is on Jayson Tatum to lead the Celtics to a title?

    8h
    1:28

    USING HISTORY AS A GUIDE

    Celtics, Mavs, Wolves and Pacers are most comparable to which NBA champs?

    Can the 1995 Houston Rockets provide a blueprint for 2024's NBA Finals hopefuls? Let's look at how this year's contenders match up to past winners.

    11hNeil Paine
    AP Photo/Pat Sullivan

    BETTING THE PLAYOFFS

    Erin Dolan's best bets for Pacers-Celtics Game 1

    3h
    1:14

    Favorite picks, props for Celtics-Pacers, Wolves-Mavericks

    Our betting experts explain which bets stand out in the conference finals.

    7hESPN Staff

    CONFERENCE FINALS

    The stars, schemes and stats that will decide these surprising conference finals

    Our NBA insiders are breaking down the keys to the Celtics-Pacers and Wolves-Mavs series.

    1dNBA Insiders
    Photo by Waleed Zein/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

    ARE MAVS IN A GOOD SPOT?

    Austin Rivers: A title this season changes the way people view Kyrie

    8h
    1:20

    RANKING TOP PLAYERS OF THE PLAYOFFS

    Edwards, Gilgeous-Alexander, ???: We ranked the top 12 players from the second round of the NBA playoffs

    Young stars of the Wolves and Thunder both land in the top three of the playoffs' most valuable players (ranked by the numbers). Who else joins them?

    1dNeil Paine
    Jesse Johnson/USA Today Sports

    ON THE COACHING FRONT

    Kendrick Perkins: Next Lakers coach needs to be AD hire, not LeBron

    1d
    2:06

    Coaching carousel: Latest on Lakers and Wizards search

    What we know on the NBA's coaching vacancies and top candidates.

    8dTim Bontemps

    INSIDE WOLVES' SUCCESS

    What Anthony Edwards has accomplished at 22 -- even before Kobe, LeBron and Steph

    The Wolves toiled in irrelevance and mediocrity for decades. That is, until their audacious 22-year-old leader stepped foot on the court this season, when he made sure his team would be neither one -- for years to come.

    3dRamona Shelburne
    Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

    Lowe: How Edwards' ascension has led to the redemption of Towns

    Karl-Anthony Towns could have departed, but what if he's the bridge between Rudy Gobert and Anthony Edwards?

    12dZach Lowe

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