Who are Spurs fans rooting for in the Finals?
An in-state rival, or a historical powerhouse looking to rise back up to the top?
The 2024 NBA Finals begin today, and for the ninth straight year (I can’t decide if that seems like a little or a lot), the Spurs find themselves on the outside looking in. Still, that doesn’t mean we must deprive ourselves from watching basketball. This year’s championship match-up between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks promises to be wildly entertaining, with a couple of talented duos in Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brown for the Celtics and Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving for the Mavs, plus plenty of young and veteran talent on both squads vying for their first ring.
From a Spurs fans’ perspective, it’s an interesting match-up to try and pick a favorite from, so I thought I would run through my pros and cons for each team (and some may have more), and at the bottom we’ll have a poll for voting.
Why root for the Mavs
“Texans are a proud people, and when all is said and done, our teams stick together.” At least some fans go by that motto, and while in some cases rivalry supersedes that, the Spurs-Mavs rivalry has mellowed out a bit from its peak during the Tim Duncan — Dirk Nowitzki era. But even when it was arguably at its most volatile after two vicious matchups in the 2009 and 2010 playoffs, Spurs fans still probably found themselves rooting for the Mavs in their one and only championship run in 2011 if only because the newly-formed Heatles were just that hated. (Plus, it’s not hard to argue that the Rockets are the easier Texas team to hate right now, at least from a Spurs perspective.)
There’s also the idea that the Mavs are (theoretically) the underdog in this scenario as just a 5th seed, and sometimes that’s all neutral fans need to pick a side. They also have some likeable players and stories on the roster, from rookie Dereck Lively II, who tragically lost his mother to Hodgkin’s Lymphoma earlier this year, and veterans PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford, who were acquired at the trade deadline and ended up being the perfect complimentary pieces to bring the Mavs’ defense up to par with its offense. That was some underrated but good work by the Mavs’ front office.
Why root against the Mavs
With all that being said, the Mavs are still rivals, and that may enough for some fans to root for the Celtics. They also have some of the more unlikeable characters in the NBA. Doncic can be a joy to watch, but his foul baiting and constant whining at the officials gets very old, very fast. Then there’s Irving. Even though he has found a stable environment, it’s hard to forget his very recent history as a bad teammate (which included plenty of poor behavior in Boston) as well as some “controversial” world views.
Finally, even though his has stepped back as just a minority owner and we don’t hear much from him anymore, Mark Cuban is still there, and he may have played just as big of a role in the most hated era of the rivalry as any player with his trash talk and childish courtside behavior. He will always have a big place in the rivalry’s lore and be one of the more hated figures for Spurs fans.
Why root for the Celtics
We’ll get the most obvious reason out of the way first: Derrick White. He’s a former Spur and fan favorite, and while it arguably has ended up being a win-win trade since the Celtics got that “one more piece” they needed to truly contend and the Spurs achieved their goal of getting Victor Wembanyama, it was still one of the more heartbreaking trades for Spurs fans when it happened. Even those who are rooting for the Mavs probably won’t be sad to see White win a ring.
As for the rest of the Celtics, they don’t have any truly unlikeable players. Jayson Tatum gets some unnecessary hate but is a humble superstar, and the media seems determined to manufacture some kind of rift between him and Jaylen Brown. Tatum smiling, clapping and patting Brown on the back when he won the ECF MVP was apparently the same as being visibly upset, so there’s something satisfying about proving the media wrong. Finally, if you really hate the Lakers, the Celtics winning would break the tie and move the Lakers to 2nd for most championships in league history, so there’s that.
Why root against the Celtics
Like the Lakers, they are the Celtics, and there are some fans that just can’t root for historical powerhouses regardless of anything. Boston also cruised through the regular season in a down Eastern Conference, and some have said they had the easiest route to the Finals ever as they kept getting either the lower seeds or injured teams, and that narrative will only continue now that they’re facing the 5th seed in the West for a championship (although it’s arguable that whole 1-5 group was in the same tier).
Finally, while I can’t speak from experience and don’t see many Celtics fans on social media, word is they’re some of the worst and most poorly behaved. Maybe someone with actual experience can speak more on this topic than me, but in general, it is widely considered that Texans are nicer folks than New Englanders, so take from that what you will.
With all that out of the way, it’s your turn to vote. Be sure to tell us who you chose and why!
