After a long season and playoffs, the stage for the NBA Finals is finally set. On Thursday night, the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks will begin their battle to see who will be crowned champions.As the action begins, here is a deep dive into this year's final matchup.2024 NBA Finals ticket prices and venuesThose wanting to catch the NBA Finals in person this year should be prepared to spend a sizable amount of money. Prices for the early games are floating around $800–$900 and only go up as the series goes on.Here is a look at the projected ticket prices for each venue:Game 1 (Boston Garden): $793Game 2 (Boston Garden): $853Game 3 (American Airlines Center): $971Game 4 (American Airlines Center): $1,179Game 5 (Boston Garden): $1,230Game 6 (American Airlines Center): $1,827Game 7 (Boston Garden): $1,7372024 NBA Finals schedule and how to watchThis year's NBA Finals will begin on June 6th, and the longest it will run is June 23rd. Here is the full breakdown of each game's date and start time.Game 1: June 6th, 8:30 pm Eastern TimeGame 2: June 9th, 8:00 pm Eastern TimeGame 3: June 12th, 8:30 pm Eastern TimeGame 4: June 14th, 8:30 pm Eastern TimeGame 5: June 17th, 8:30 pm Eastern TimeGame 6: June 20th, 8:30 pm Eastern TimeGame 7: June 23rd, 8:00 pm Eastern Time*Games 5 to 7 are if necessary.While playoff games have been scattered across various TV networks, that won't be the case for the finals. Every matchup will be aired for a national audience on ABC.2024 NBA Finals betting oddsPer FanDuel Sportsbook, the Celtics are the favorites to win it all at -225 odds. The Mavericks aren't far behind at +188. As for Finals MVP, Jayson Tatum (-120) and Luka Doncic (+210) have the best odds.2024 NBA Finals Game PreviewThe Celtics were one of the league's top teams all season and are now just four wins away from securing a title. They breezed through the competition in the postseason, losing just two games through the first three rounds. Now, they'll face arguably their biggest challenge yet.The Mavericks, who entered the playoffs as the No. 5 seed, are back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011. They've been led by the talented backcourt duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Dallas punched their ticket for the NBA Finals after making quick work of Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves.