The Dallas Mavericks, led by Luka Doncic, went from being long bets to winning the Western Conference, yet they are the underdogs in a highly anticipated NBA Finals clash with the Boston Celtics.

On Thursday, the Celtics were the -225 favorites at ESPN BET. Following their decisive Game 5 rout of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference playoffs, the Mavericks were pegged as +185 underdogs. In the opening game of the series, which takes place in Boston on June 6th, the Celtics are favored by 6 points over the Mavericks.

At FanDuel on Thursday, Jayson Tatum of Boston was the clear favorite to win MVP of the Finals at -130, followed by Doncic at +200. Jaylen Brown of the Celtics was +600, and Kyrie Irving of Dallas was +2,400.The Mavericks were considered long shots to win the championship at the start of the season, and in January, several sportsbooks upped their odds to 50-1. However, Dallas strengthened its team at the trade deadline and surprised bookmakers in the postseason.

Sports trader David Lieberman, who manages NBA odds for Caesars Sportsbook, told ESPN that “this potential series price would have had the Celtics a heavier favorite at the start of the playoffs, but now looks quite a bit closer.”

Even though center Kristaps Porzingis suffered a calf injury in the first round of the playoffs, Boston advanced quickly in the Eastern Conference. This season, the Celtics had a seven-point or greater advantage in all 14 of their postseason games.

According to Jeff Sherman, vice president of risk for the SuperBook in Las Vegas, Porzingis’s return to the starting lineup is reflected in the opening price for the Finals.

Sherman stated, “I’m expecting Dallas support [from bettors].”