Kristaps Porzingis had 20 points and three blocks in 21 minutes on a memorable return from injury, Conference Finals MVP Jaylen Brown had a 22-point, three-steal and block game as Boston eventually eased beyond a careless Mavericks side struggling with their distance shooting. Jayson Tatum was honest postgame, and that doesn’t bode well for Dallas’ chances going forward…
Porzingis provides the punch as Boston boss Game 1
Boston Celtics vs. Dallas Mavericks
NBA Finals, Game 2
Tip-off from 1am BST on Monday
Game 1 rundown:
Porzingis marked Finals debut with 20-point, 6-reb, 3-block game against his former ball club while Luka Doncic led all scorers with 30 points on 26 shot attempts, but had more turnovers (4) than assists (1) in 107-89 road defeat
Luka’s backcourt partner Kyrie Irving again booed on latest return to Boston (12 pts on 19 attempts, three turnovers) as Dallas shot just 7-of-27 (25.9%) on their three-point tries, were largely wasteful and predictable in possession
THIS time two years ago, Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals, Celtics’ star forward Jayson Tatum recorded more assists (13) than points (12 on 17 shot attempts) in a 12-point win away at Golden State. It’s only happened once in his 109-game, seven-season playoff career and isn’t by accident, given how easily he can get to his scoring spots.
An inefficient scorer when opposition teams double and largely focus their defensive schemes on him, that proved the only game where he would have more than nine assists in that series, and Boston ultimately lost in six despite leading 2-1.
So far in these playoffs, he’s averaging 25.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 43.8 FG% as well as 29.9% from three-point range. An increase on rebounds and assists per game compared to the regular season, everything else is down to an extent.
The five-time All-Star forward, who finished sixth in MVP voting for a second time in three seasons, knows if Boston are to be successful, he needs to embrace his role as a facilitator in a team with multiple scoring weapons – especially the returning Kristaps Porzingis. “I’m glad he’s back,” he told ESPN’s Lisa Salters postgame.
Porzingis, nursing a strained right calf injury over the past six weeks, produced an inspired showing off the bench against his former ball club – quick to dismiss him, less than two full years after declaring him their second star alongside Luka Doncic.
It was beautiful to watch the big man go to work on both ends of the floor, and the 28-year-old Latvian is sure to be giving Dallas headaches about how they defend him, given Boston’s attacking versatility means they can’t afford to be half-hearted.
Tatum finished with 16 points (including a trio of made threes), 11 rebounds and a block in 42 minutes but had more turnovers (6, a game-high) than assists (5) and naturally was in a self-reflective mood after their double-digit victory.
“It’s a game of runs, they won’t go away easy so we had to respond and did a really good job of that. Obviously someone like that [Doncic] will score and get his points, our job is to limit the others as much as we can. We won, but I had way too many turnovers. Gotta watch film and rest, get ready for game two.”
It’d be too simplistic to say Dallas need to make their threes for Game 2 to look different, having cut down a 21-point deficit to just eight with 4:28 left in the third quarter – Doncic made two of his four triples during that stretch.
What happened?
two turnovers (Lively II, Irving)
two shooting fouls (Lively II)
five missed shots (Irving 2, Doncic 2, Hardaway Jr)
Brown blocked Derrick Jones Jr twice in eight seconds, then Irving
They didn’t make another basket again until 11:11 in the fourth, P.J. Washington’s driving layup meant they had another 20-point margin to claw back their way. Both teams can play better, that much is clear, so it’ll be interesting to see what coaching adjustments are made to impact things before Game 2 this weekend.
Picture source: Getty Images, quotes via ESPN
Mo and Sports 