A big talking point heading into Game 1 of the NBA Finals was how the Boston Celtics would guard Luka Doncic. Well, the Celtics almost exclusively guarded Doncic 1-on-1 and ended up comfortably winning 107-89. After the game, Jrue Holiday was asked about the Celtics not having to double the Mavericks superstar and the 33-year-old hilariously stated that even their white players can defend.
“I think it helps a lot, throwing different guys at him,” Holiday said. “Different guys that play defense differently. Some aggressive, some not, but I think even our white guys guard. Hopefully, it’s a challenge on him and hopefully, we can continue to do that.”
"Even our white guys guard"
Jrue Holiday on team effort guarding Luka 😅 pic.twitter.com/roOVgIgmMx
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) June 7, 2024
Well, two of the white guys on the Celtics can certainly guard very well. Derrick White just made the NBA All-Defensive Second Team for the second straight year in 2024 and he was one of those tasked with guarding Doncic. White, who had 15 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal in the contest, did a decent enough job as well.
Kristaps Porzingis is the other guy who can guard ever so well and he shone on his return from injury in this game. Porzingis recorded three blocks to go with 20 points and 6 rebounds against his former team.
As for the rest of the white guys, I think Sam Hauser is a better defender than people think. Hauser even got a couple of stops on Doncic in this game while recording 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist.
Payton Pritchard is probably the weakest link on defense in this group but does work his socks off and isn’t a liability by any means on that end of the floor. So, when the likes of Holiday, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown are put alongside this lot, you get one of the best defensive teams in the league.
In Game 1, the Celtics limited the Mavericks to 41.7% shooting from the field. Doncic, who had 30 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals, was the only Maverick to be productive on offense.
If the Celtics continue to guard Doncic 1-on-1, expect the 25-year-old to keep putting up relatively big scoring numbers. Those assists might not go up all that much, though, which could spell trouble for the Mavericks, as so many players on the roster rely on the Slovenian to create easy scoring opportunities for them.
Luka Doncic Spoke About The Celtics’ Blowout Win In Game 1
While the nature of the defeat on Thursday would have been concerning, there is no panic in Dallas just yet. Doncic reflected on the Celtics’ dominant win in Game 1 over the Mavericks.
“They mostly play one-on-one, they don’t send a lot of help, so that’s why… Their spacing is great and they have a lot of shooters. So I think we have to do a better job taking those threes away.”
“You lose or you win. First to four. We have to focus on the next game… Just focus on the next game. I think we really got good shots. We just didn’t make them. But we’ve got to go game by game. The Game 1 is over. We’ve got to watch film, what we did wrong, and focus only on the next one.”
Doncic also stated that the Mavericks need to play with the kind of joy and energy they had when they went on a 29-9 run in the third quarter, for the entire game. That would certainly help turn things around here.
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