Boston's stout defense was on full display in Game 1 against Dallas, blocking five dunks and a layup attempt from close range.
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Boston — The opening game of the 2024 NBA Finals ended, at least officially, just before 11 p.m. ET on Thursday. Otherwise, the game ended quickly.
The Boston Celtics, looking to win 18 games in their next franchise championship, quickly took control and surprised the Dallas Mavericks with a 107-89 victory to send the game to another day.
The Celtics also made another statement in the process.
Welcome back, Kristaps.
Kristaps Porzingis, who had been inactive for the past 38 days while rehabbing a calf injury, was given a hero's welcome when he showed up for pregame warmups and immediately lived up to the expectations and hopes.
He made an impact on both ends, knocked down jump shots, protected the rim and sparked a big win with 11 points and three blocks (including one on a hard chase on Josh Green) in the first seven minutes of the game. It was a quick, if unsurprising, one-man takedown by a player who was clearly more restless than rusty against his former team.
“I was pleasantly surprised with how good he looked,” Al Horford said.
For more on Kristaps Porzingis' game, check out our article on turning points (hint: when Porzingis checked in).
Meanwhile, here are five takeaways from the Celtics' one-sided Game 1.
1. The Celtics continue to dominate
The city is still Boston, and the Celtics won the regular season, blazed through most of the playoffs and stormed through the Finals.
They've won 77 of 97 games since October.extended displays of muscle, and the secrets of Boston basketball again remained the same: tenacious shooting, solid defense and help from a deep rotation.
The only difference between this win and the others is that it didn't require Jayson Tatum to play at his best. Aside from Porzingis' return, that was the most impressive thing about the latest result. Tatum was modest, scoring just 16 points (and 11 rebounds) for a player who has a lot to prove in this series, but that didn't matter.
Every player who saw significant minutes produced a flash or two of flashiness, but taken together it was just too much for the Mavericks to handle. Boston's depth was expected to be an issue for Dallas, and that was certainly the case in Game 1.
Even worse for Dallas, the Celtics blocked five dunks and close-range layup attempts, which dented morale and denied the Mavericks any chance to keep the game close.
The Celtics led by 29 points in the second quarter thanks to the Kristaps effect. Restlessness spread inside TD Garden after Luka Doncic cut that score to eight in the third quarter and the Celtics put Dallas to sleep on a 14-0 run.
As if that wasn't enough for the Mavericks, they also need to understand that Tatum won't be sitting on the sidelines this entire series.
“They were good tonight,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “I think they're the best team in the NBA, and there's a reason why. They play their style of basketball at a high percentage. We've got to be better.”
2. Doncic was monotonous.
The Celtics made a decision, stuck to it, and won: play Doncic fair and square and let his teammates take contested shots.
This is a strategy that perhaps only the Celtics could employ because they have the players to pull it off: They have July Holiday, Derrick White and Jaylen Brown, all excellent man-to-man defenders who assigned Luka differently in Game 1.
So they invited Luka to take shots, and he took 26. What he didn't do was torture opponents with his passes.
Luka recorded one assist, his lowest total of the season.He recorded at least five assists in every playoff game, unusual for a player who typically makes it easier for his teammates.
“We've got to move the ball,” Kidd said. “The ball was getting caught too much.”
As a result, the Mavericks struggled to take open three-pointers, making just 7 of 27 three-point attempts and finishing with their lowest scoring total of the postseason.
“Everybody's going to take their opponents personally and take personal pride in their individual defense,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said.
3. The Celtics use 3-point shots a lot.
The Celtics' appetite for deep shots has been both impressive and frustrating, sometimes in the same game, the same quarter or even during the same possession.
For example, they missed five consecutive 3-pointers in one go in Game 1, but their love for the shot didn't waver — remember, this team was taking 40 shots per game throughout the playoffs — and made two more on Thursday.
It's a problem the Mavericks will have to solve or address going forward. It's always been a green light for the Celtics, and making those shots often (they made 16 in Game 1) puts pressure on the defense, forcing them to make adjustments and take chances on the fly.
“We have to stop the 3-pointers,” Luka said. “That's what hurt us the most.” They have five guys, all of whom can shoot.“
4. The Mavs want Kyrie to do better.
The atmosphere, the setting and the situation demanded a strong rebuttal from Kyrie Irving, who usually steps up when such a motivating force is present.
Instead, Irving's answer was subdued, finishing with 12 points and missing all five of his 3-pointers, and not putting the Celtics on edge.The performance captivated the crowd, who booed and jeered Irving, reaffirming their frustration at having burned all his bridges when he left Boston five years ago.
“It's basketball at the end of the day,” Kyrie said. “I thought it would be a little louder here.”
With the Celtics leading by a large margin, there was no real reason for the crowd to flock to the field, and it helped that Kyrie didn't step on the Lucky the Leprechaun logo in the middle of the court this time, as he did in his first game back in Boston.
It was odd to see Kyrie struggle, for the first time in the playoffs this season in fact.The one-two punch with Luka helped Dallas win three rounds and propel the Mavericks to the Finals.
But against the Celtics, Kyrie was mostly in single coverage, just like Luka. Kyrie had just two assists, and even when he did shake off his defender, he often failed to finish. The most memorable example came when his layup was so strong that it flew into the stands after being blocked by Brown, who gave him a celebratory salute.
“They really rely on great defensive ball pressure and man-to-man defenders,” he said. “They get us into certain areas, and even as I say that, every time I get isolated, there's almost two or three guys there waiting for me to get in there.”
It was a very miserable night for Kylie.
“We didn't perform as well as we expected to tonight,” he said. “It starts with me going out there and calming the team down. I've got to take responsibility for communication and get out there and get comfortable with what the environment is going to be like.”
“We have to take a good look at ourselves in the mirror, and that starts with me as one of the leaders on this team.”
5. The Celtics stop Dallas' big men
The only coverage thrown at Luka and Kyrie meant the other Mavericks had to take shots themselves. That didn't work, especially for silenced centers Derek Lively II and Daniel Gafford.
Both players play with confidence and have made an impact over the last month, especially in wins over Oklahoma City and Minnesota. Without their rebounding and easy points off lobs, the Mavericks wouldn't have made it this far.
But it was a most frustrating night for Lively. Since the Mavericks promoted him to the rotation, 5 fouls, 5 rebounds, 2 points That's impressive for a player who averaged a double-double in the playoffs. His first and only points came with 6:48 left in a one-sided game.
In some ways, this start is understandable — Lively is a rookie and hasn't played basketball since early June — but he needs to find other ways to score without Luka's help, if possible, and avoid fouls.
“This is something we need to learn from.” “It'll help me in the next game,” said Gafford, who will be playing in his first finals.
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Shaun Powell has been covering the NBA for over 25 years. You can email him at Here, the archive is here And follow Make Him X.
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