Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla knows his team has a lot of work to do heading into the NBA Finals with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving playing well.
Mazzulla told reporters on Saturday that there's no stopping the Dallas Mavericks' two superstars at this point.
Coming out of the second-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Doncic and Irving appeared to have hit a wall, averaging a combined 40.4 points per game in the six-game series, down from the 59.5 they averaged in the regular season and the 56.3 they averaged in the first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Those concerns were blown away in the Western Conference Finals, as Doncic averaged 32.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game, while Irving averaged 27.0 points on 49.0 percent shooting in five games against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Doncic and Irving became just the third teammates in NBA history to score 30 or more points in the final game of a conference finals with their impressive Game 5 performance against the T-Wolves.
One reason to be optimistic about the Celtics' chances of containing the Dallas duo is that they have arguably the best backcourt defender in the NBA in July Holiday and Derrick White.
Neither player is tall enough to match Doncic at 6-foot-7, so Jaylen Brown may have to guard him at various times. Mazzulla will almost certainly want to keep Holiday or White close to Irving to prevent him from getting into a rhythm.
That's easier said than done, because Irving has made a career out of finding openings that don't seem to exist, even if that means attempting an absurd hook shot with his off-hand.
This series is also expected to be a high-scoring one, even though both teams have shown great defense throughout the playoffs.
The Celtics have the best offense of any team Dallas has faced in the postseason, while Boston has the second-best offense in the playoffs behind the Indiana Pacers and the third-best defense.
Meanwhile, this will be the first time the Celtics will face a team with a full roster, having beaten the Miami Heat without Jimmy Butler, the Cleveland Cavaliers without Jarrett Allen for the entire series and Donovan Mitchell for the final two games, and the Pacers without Tyrese Haliburton for the final two games.
Boston could also have Kristaps Porzingis back for the first time since Game 4 against the Heat. Mazzulla has not confirmed Porzingis' return but said Friday that he is “recovering well” and is “confident” in his current condition.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Mavericks and Celtics will be played at 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday at TD Garden.
