The Boston Celtics pulled out an emphatic 107-89 win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals at the TD Garden, Boston. The Celtics comprehensively shut down the Mavericks offense as they take a big win which has some fans thinking they might sweep the series.
THAT'S ONE ☝️#DifferentHere pic.twitter.com/0PLNoZMIjX
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) June 7, 2024
Kristaps Porzingis’ return was sensational and fans think this version of Porzingis could lead the Celtics to a sweep series win.
If Porgzingis plays like this the Celtics might sweep
— Maison Goldstien (@maisongoldstien) June 7, 2024
Fans flamed Kyrie Irving for one of his worst playoff showings this season.
Kyrie doing more to help the Celtics than Tatum
— Anthony (@omgitsbirdman) June 7, 2024
Kyrie took the air out of the Mavericks’ third-quarter run by missing momentum-swinging threes.
kyrie is missing every single momentum swinging 3. cmon bro
— SJ (@SJBasketball8) June 7, 2024
Fans were upset that nobody on the Mavericks matched Luka Doncic’s competitive intensity and production tonight.
Luka brought these dudes back and they proceeded to shit on themselves.
— Glen (@Glenjr1988) June 7, 2024
Fans were extremely critical of the backseat role Jayson Tatum took in the win.
Another game where I just watch Tatum and wonder if 50 other NBA players couldn’t do what he’s doing
— Prez💊’ (@PresidentEmbiid) June 7, 2024
Fans continued to mock Tatum despite the win.
Jayson Tatum has done an incredible job watching his teammates do everything so far.
— Barry (@BarryOnHere) June 7, 2024
Some fans compared Tatum to Shawn Marion for just playing high-level role-player basketball.
Tatum is legit playing like Cavs Shawn Marion right now and it doesn’t matter because Bradley Stevens nerd ass crafted the best 2K 5 out Pro Am team of all time
— 🤺 (@philfanacc) June 7, 2024
Mavs fans were really unhappy with the version of Kyrie they got.
Kyrie look like prime Yogi Ferrell pic.twitter.com/chzOtApyiz
— Bibs (@BibsCorner) June 7, 2024
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with a sensational two-way performance, putting up 22 points, six rebounds, three steals, and three blocks in the win. Kristaps Porzingis put up 20 points, six rebounds, and three blocks off the bench, while Jayson Tatum put up 16 points and 11 rebounds on inefficient shooting.
Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with 30 points and 10 rebounds but was held to a playoff-low one assist in the loss. P.J. Washington put up 14 points and eight rebounds but hit no threes. Kyrie Irving also went blank from three-point range and put up 12 points in a dismal outing.
The Mavericks Offense Could Not Figure Out The Celtics
Credit where credit is due, the Mavericks played solid defense tonight. Despite the Celtics having a hot shooting night, the team’s defensive intensity in the second half will be an encouraging factor for them to hold onto. But the bigger worry is going to be about their offense, something the Celtics entirely neutralized tonight.
The Mavericks shot 25.9% from three in a game where Luka Doncic tallied just one assist. The Celtics eliminated Doncic finding open shooters with a strict defensive philosophy where they guarded in single-coverage and used late switches to not give Doncic the time to read the floor and make a dot pass. He did create corner opportunities at times but they rarely were converted.
The offensive strategy needs to be adjusted, as the Celtics will live with Doncic cooking them one-on-one as long as the others on the roster don’t show up. They saw that happen with Kyrie Irving, who was an offensive albatross the Mavericks carried around their neck tonight.
Every time the Mavericks carried offensive momentum and made runs, an Irving transition pull-up three would follow which would be a miss and give the Celtics the momentum. This was one of his worst games in recent memory, as in previous low-scoring games this postseason, Irving has either been an influential playmaker or a tenacious defender.
Joe Mazzulla is sticking to his defensive principles, putting the ball in Jason Kidd’s court to come up with the right adjustments. If he fails to do so, the Celtics might have one hand on the Larry O’Brien already.
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