The Celtics and Mavericks are set to meet in the NBA Finals. Or more accurately, it could be NBA Finally.

When the two conference champs tip off Thursday night, it will mark the first NBA playoff game played in a week. It will also mark the Celtics’ first game in 10 days.

Postseason layoffs can interrupt a team’s mojo. We’re reminded of the 2007 World Series, when the Colorado Rockies won 21 of their final 22 games (regular season and playoffs) to clinch the National League pennant.

The Rockies were rolling when they arrived in Boston for Game 1 of the Fall Classic, but they had been off for nine days. The Sox, meanwhile, had to fight to the end in the ALCS, beating Cleveland in Game 7 just three days before the World Series.

A rusty Colorado squad was no match for Dustin Pedroia and the Sox, who blew out the Rockies 13-1 in Game 1 and went on to a series sweep.

Rust shouldn’t be a factor Thursday night at the Garden, despite both teams having been off for a while.

That 2007 Red Sox championship was a hot topic at Fenway Park last week. Pedroia recently was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame with former teammates Trot Nixon and Jonathan Papelbon. Elaine Weddington Steward, who was the first woman to become an assistant general manager in the MLB, rounded out the Class of 2024.

Pedroia was having a career that could have landed him in the MLB Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, but Manny Machado wrecked Pedroia’s knee on a hard slide into second base just 17 games into the 2017 season.

Pedroia was never the same.

“I’ve never gotten over it, to be honest,” Pedroia told reporters last week. “Company line kind of deal. Every day, I want to play. That’s never going to change. It’s hard. There’s no other way to put it. You guys saw me. I loved it. I was here before anybody. To have it taken away from you sucks.”

I asked Pedroia about winning the MVP in the 2008 season, which ended with a tough Game 7 loss to the Rays in the ALCS.

“I only talk about it when I need to talk trash and like mic drop it,” Pedroia said of the award. “‘Hey, I was the best player on the planet Earth for one year.’  So if anybody ever talks trash to me I’ll just be like ‘no, man.’ ”

Pedroia told me in a 2009 interview that he was ready to “prove them all wrong.” Laughing, I pointed out that “they” had voted him MVP. Pedroia was always finding ways to motivate himself, even if they were part of his imagination.

Papelbon closed out that 2007 championship. The all-time saves leader for the Red Sox and Phillies said his induction into the Sox Hall topped every other honor he’s received.

“All these trophies and everything that I’ve accomplished throughout my career, they’re all great, don’t get me wrong, and I value them immensely,” said Papelbon. “But to me, going into the Sox Hall of Fame with these two types of players, it just feels right.”

Nixon, the original dirt dog, rounded out the hard-working trio. Few players have resonated with the Sox the way Nixon did.

“It’s a blue-collar town,” recalled Nixon during the ceremony. “It always has been and always will be. And I felt like they’re going to hold me to a very high standard. I need to make sure that I bring it every night that I possibly can. … Not only did I want to impress my parents, I wanted to impress the fans. I wanted the fans to realize that I’m no different than them. I’m going to come out here and work just as hard as they do on a daily basis and hopefully help this team win championships.”

Everyone inducted into the Hall this week got to ride in a Duck Boat parade at least once.  Those boats haven’t rolled through Boston in more than five years, although that could soon change soon should the Celtics come out on top.

Tom Caron is a studio host for the Red Sox broadcast on NESN. His column appears in the Portland Press Herald on Tuesdays.

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