Could we realistically see a Boston Celtics - Los Angeles Lakers NBA finals this season? Not too long ago, such a proposition would have seemed dubious at best, with the Celtics repeat champs but Los Angeles struggling to put the right pieces around an aging but still excellent LeBron James.

The Mavericks' decision to trade Luke Doncic to the Lakers was shocking for many reasons, one of which was that Dallas made the NBA Finals less than a year ago. At the time, winning the Western Conference felt like the beginning of Dallas' title window,

Joe Mazzulla's team handed LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and the rivals from LA its first loss in eight, and looked pretty unbeatable doing it.