The 2024 NBA Finals concluded Thursday with the Boston Celtics’ dominant Game 1 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
The series couldn’t have gotten off to a better start for the Celtics, who built a comfortable lead by going up 23-5 over the final six minutes of the first quarter. Boston’s defense continued to give Dallas hits throughout the first half, limiting the Western Conference champions to 42 points, the second-lowest first-half point total in the 2024 playoffs.
The 21-point lead the Celtics enjoyed at halftime began to evaporate in the third quarter as Luka Doncic & Co. were able to cut the deficit to single digits, but Boston’s ability to limit Dallas’ role players was too much to overcome. (Doncic scored 30 points and 10 rebounds, but his 1 assist was a postseason career low.)
Jaylen Brown led Boston with 22 points, especially Kristaps Porzingis’ impressive return from a calf injury that sidelined the 7-foot-3 center after the opening round. He finished Game 1 with 20 points and three blocks.
The Mavericks will look to even the series in Game 2 on Sunday (8 p.m. ET, ABC). But while we wait, let’s take a look at what stands out to NBA insiders from Thursday night.
What Game 1 trends could define a series?
Team Bontems: Boston’s defense of Dallas. Kyrie Irving went 6-for-19 and 0-for-5 from three. Doncic finished the game with 30 points and 10 rebounds but had just one assist. That was his fewest assists in a game this season and in the postseason. There were 9 people in one team. Much of this defensive success has come from Boston’s defensive versatility and ability to throw multiple defenders at Dallas’ stars without having to double them. Doncic tore up double teams throughout the playoffs, allowing Boston to stay at home and preventing Mavs’ role players like PJ Washington from advancing.
Mark Spears: Tatum doesn’t need to play well for the Celtics to beat the Mavericks. The Boston star had a subpar night, scoring 16 points on 6-for-16 shooting and a game-high six turnovers, but it didn’t matter. The Celtics have a plethora of other offensive options (six players finished in double-digit scoring). Especially if Porzingis stays healthy. But what happens when Tatum turns this series on?
Kevin Felton: Boston’s advantage in 3-point attempts. Both teams count on the three (the Mavericks (44) are behind the Celtics (47) in regular-season attempt percentage from behind the arc), but there is a level to their commitment. No. 3 is effectively a clause of faith for coach Joe Mazzulla, and Boston’s ability to switch between different pick-and-roll combinations allows Celtics defenders to stay at home instead of helping in the paint and giving up open looks.
As a result, Boston doubled Dallas’ lead beyond the arc in the first half. And while the Mavericks won’t continue to shoot as poorly as they did when they were down 29 points from downtown, that’s concerning. Teams that attempted more 3-pointers were 48-27 (.640) in this year’s playoffs, with Boston going 11-1 and 2-1 when their opponents took more shots.
In particular, the Celtics did a great job blocking three of Doncic’s typical corner kick attempts. Dallas went 1-of-3 on a corner with the only success coming from Josh Green in garbage time. Spectrum tracking per second tied for the Mavericks’ fewest corner 3-point attempts this season.
What stands out about Porzingis’ return?
Felton: For all the talk about the Celtics benefiting from injuries en route to the Finals, what stands out is how they survived even after taking some serious losses. Porzingis’ size and shooting ability tilted the game in Boston’s favor as soon as he checked in. A Celtics team that struggled to defend the rim with 6-foot-9 Al Horford as its biggest starter suddenly became impenetrable in the paint, and Porzingis’ block on Kyrie Irving’s fadeaway was Horford’s 38-year-old It was a play that could no longer be made alone.
Offensively, Porzingis’ shooting was too much for Dallas to handle. And the play where Porzingis got past Derek Lively II after pressuring him on the perimeter was a play that would have been impressive had Porzingis been at his best, let alone playing for the first time in more than five weeks.
good times: The energy he brought to the building. The roof fell off at TD Garden as he walked onto the court during warmups, and the sound got louder as he checked in in the first quarter. That meant as much as his stellar play on the court on both ends, between offensive floor spacing and defensive rim protection.
Luke Kornet is a solid backup center, but slight Upgrade to All-Star caliber in Porzingis, who has delivered exactly the impact that brought him to Boston.
Spears: I was surprised. During the Celtics’ media day Wednesday, Porzingis used a calf stretch board with two trainers. He didn’t seem like the type of person who would put on a surprising performance after a long absence. But Porzingis was special when it came to scoring, blocking shots, and rebounding. He became the first player to finish a game in the NBA Finals with at least 20 points and three blocks off the bench since Kevin McHale in 1984 against the Los Angeles Lakers. I can’t say I’ve ever seen such overwhelming returns in 25 years of watching the NBA.
3:40
Myers: Dallas ‘wasn’t ready’ for Porzingis’ talent
The “NBA Countdown” crew reacts to the Celtics’ decisive Game 1 win over the Mavericks, and Bob Myers points to Kristaps Porzingis’ production as a key point.
The biggest change Dallas needs to make in Game 2 is _____.
good times: Getting Irving moving. If this is a repeat of the Oklahoma City series, with Irving struggling and Dallas surviving a heavy 3-point shooting diet from Washington and Derrick Jones Jr., Boston will be huge favorites to win the title.
The Mavericks need the rest of the Finals to be similar to the Minnesota series, where Irving and Doncic tore apart the defense and provided big production for Dallas every night. But this is the challenge Boston presents with Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown taking turns protecting the Mavericks on the perimeter.
Spears: When Doncic gets off to a fast start, Dallas is special. He played with an anger and ferocity reminiscent of Kobe Bryant against Minnesota. Perhaps it was the length of the Celtics defense. But Doncic didn’t start fast or get his teammates going. He scored 30 points, but missed eight 3s and had just one assist.
Felton: It’s about finding ways to move the ball. The Mavericks had fewer assists (9) than Luka’s average. alone Regular season (9.8). Doncic’s one assist was the fewest he had in an NBA game when he played at least 35 minutes, according to ESPN Stats & Information, regular season or playoffs.
Part of the problem was Dallas’ ability to create shots that were made from passes. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Mavericks completed just 1-of-6 on Doncic’s passes that could have resulted in assists. That compares to 57% prior to this postseason. But those six assist opportunities were also the fewest Luca has ever had in a playoff game.
One potential solution: Instead of running for a pull-up jumper, Doncic wants to drive and dish when Horford and Sam Hauser force him to switch.
good times: six. Nothing that happened in Game 1 changed my prediction. If the Mavericks can win Game 2, they suddenly have home-court advantage and still have the best player in the series in Doncic. But the Celtics remain the better team overall, and it showed in Game 1.
Spears: seven. It was just Game 1 and it was in Boston. I still look forward to a long series of 7 games. The Mavericks will play better in Game 2, but both stars need to take another step forward. When Doncic was sitting and Irving was on the floor, the Mavs were ahead 19-4.
Felton: five. I wanted to pick Boston at five games going into the series, but because of the uncertainty surrounding Porzingis’ effectiveness and how well Dallas has played in the West playoffs, I picked the Celtics at seven games. The margin was largely one-sided due to Boston’s shot-making advantage, but the Celtics also had better opportunities and Porzingis looked better than could reasonably have been expected. Despite Dallas’ recent playoff record of coming back from Game 1 losses (twice in 2022 and in the first two rounds this year), Boston is now a huge favorite.
