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When I said in my series preview that Boston was the likelier team to throw the first haymaker, I envisioned something almost exactly like what transpired in the first half of Game 1. A flurry of 3s, a disorienting switch-heavy defense and an inspirational two-way stretch from Kristaps Porzingis in his return from injury was far too much for Dallas to handle.
It was a culture shock for the Mavs. After bottling up the turgid Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals, Boston was speaking an entirely different language and now the Mavs will be tasked with translating their stout defense against a much more diverse opponent. Boston's first quarter, specifically once Kristaps Porzingis checked into the game, created enough separation to decide the outcome of the game despite a Dallas run at the beginning of the third quarter that briefly made it interesting.
Here are my three takeaways from Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals.
Hunting Season
The Mavericks are familiar with their opponents looking to make Luka Doncic guard the ball as much as possible, as we've seen James Harden, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards call Doncic's man up in the pick-and-roll all postseason long. However, Boston's ability to space the floor with four accurate shooters at all times mitigates a lot of the coping mechanisms that Dallas usually employs to protect Doncic.
The Clippers and Wolves both played with traditional centers, so Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford could be the first line of defense in the paint, and even though Chet Holmgren approximates what Porzingis and Horford offer the Celtics as stretch 5s, OKC often played a wing (read: Josh Giddey) that Dallas could hide its center on to keep them near the paint.
Here's what happens when the Mavs attempt to cover for Luka's defense by having early help in the paint.
It is asking a lot of Doncic to carry the offensive burden that he does, guard Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown one-on-one and then also get out and rotate once Boston gets the ball swinging around the perimeter. He's too lackadaisical here, obviously, as a breakdown caused by a blow by he allowed ends with a three that is wide open because he stopped competing on the play. It's a mistake, to be sure, but it is also hard to expect him to make closeouts like this a dozen times a game when his normal responsibilities over the course of a game already leave him quite fatigued.
Boston was smart in how they attacked Irving and Doncic. Tatum preferred to pick on the smaller Irving, who he could should over comfortably, while Brown, as the better straight line driver of Boston's big town, looked to get by Luka. Without a Giddey or Rudy Gobert or Kyle Anderson to cheat off of and ignore, Dallas was constantly caught in rotation, allowing Boston to knock down 16-of-42 from deep in a manner that was concerningly routine. If the help wasn't there, Tatum and Brown unleashed some highlight throwdowns. Do not show this film of Game 1 to Anthony Edwards. He will be jealous of that TD Garden runway.
While they were getting picked on by Boston defensively, Doncic and Irving were both unable to return the favor on the other end. Irving struggled all around in the hostile environment, scoring just 12 points on 6-of-19 shooting, but Doncic was just as poor by his own standards. He attempted to pick on Boston's lesser defenders in the pick-and-roll, but was stonewalled numerous times by Al Horford and even Sam Hauser. Doncic still scored 30 points, but needed 31 shooting possessions (26 shots, 5 free throws) and only managed one assist.
Unlike Dallas, which is forced to load up the help behind Doncic, Boston is trusting its defenders to stick with Luka all the way to the rim and not committing any help from either corner to deter his drives. Dallas shot the highest volume of corner 3s in the league this season (12 percent of its shot portfolio, per Cleaning the Glass) while Boston gave up the fourth fewest attempts from the corners (and the fewest in the playoffs at just 6.6 percent).
This the critical tactical terrain in this series. Doncic and Irving tortured the Timberwolves at the rim in the conference finals, but if they are not able to put the same pressure on Boston's defense, then the Celtics will be able to stick to the corner and funnel all of Dallas' 3-point attempts to the top of the key, where the Mavs don't have a lot of spot-up shooting talent. Will Doncic and Irving be able to threaten Boston's interior defense a bit more to draw in those baseline defenders?
Well...
Block Party
While I expected that Boston's spaced out offense would present some fresh challenges for the Mavericks' defense, what surprised me the most in Game 1 was how much better Boston looked defensively than Minnesota, particularly when protecting the rim. Porzingis and Brown had three blocks apiece in the series opener, and Boston swatted nine shots as a team. For perspective, four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert had four blocks in the entire series against Dallas.
Porzingis is the only Celtic who Joe Mazzulla has running a drop coverage when involved in a pick-and-roll; everything else was either a switch or a more aggressive coverage the level when Horford was involved. What's remarkable is how much more comfortable Porzingis looks at defending both options out of drop, staying with the ball long enough to prevent an easy layup while also sticking close enough to the body of the rolling big to prevent as easy lob.
When Horford's man was setting a screen and he went a little further up to corral the ball, Boston had impeccable weakside help from Brown, who had a career-best defensive possession in the third quarter when breaking up two Derrick Jones Jr. dunk attempts.
Brown's all-around game - 22 points on efficient 7-of-12, six rebounds, six stocks - set the tone for the Celtics on what was an off night for Tatum (16 points on 16 shots, 6 turnovers to 5 assists). His ability to make plays as a help defender will be key in this series as Doncic becomes even more intent on punishing the Boston bigs in the pick-and-roll.
The concern for the Mavericks is that this Celtics team might be too connected on this end of the floor to win solely on the individual brilliance of their two best players. Minnesota had the No. 1 defense during the regular season, but Boston's No. 3-ranked unit has far more versatility in the context of this matchup. With Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Tatum and Brown all capable guarding Doncic or Irving, a staunch desire to keep Dallas from getting open corner 3s and the ability to get this sort of rim protection from its centers and wings, Boston seems to have all of the Mavericks' bases covered.
KI & KP
When the Celtics are firing on all cylinders, like they were in the one meaningful regular season meeting between these two teams in March, Dallas needs superstar efforts from both of its stars to compete. Doncic offered the volume in Game 1, but Irving was extremely poor. Despite his Finals experience, Irving looked frazzled and off-kilter.
There was a narrative heading into the Finals that the Mavericks had the two best players in this series. Doncic is certainly at the top of the list, but even though Irving has dazzled at different points in this postseason, there isn't a whole lot of evidence to suggest he is a better basketball player than Tatum or Brown at this point in his career. As important as it is for Irving to climb up a spot or two in certain games for the Mavericks to win, it is just as critical for him to at least hold firm in the top four. If White and Holiday are going to outplay him as they did in Game 1, then the Mavericks don't have a chance in this series.
And with the effort Boston got from Porzingis, Irving slid another spot down the list. Porzingis' magnificent first quarter decided this game as much as anything for Boston. He entered the game at the 7:17 mark with the Celtics up 12-11 and Boston finished the quarter with a 37-20 lead. Porzingis scored 11 points and blocked two shots during that 25-9 run, showcasing a feathery touch offensively and offering a soaring presence in the paint defensively.
In particular, Porzingis' ability to punish switches with easy shots over the top of smaller defenders in the mid-post gave Boston a reliable source of offense as both teams looked to find their rhythm on the Finals stage. That aspect of Porzingis' game makes Boston, with its cavalcade of drivers and kickers, impossible to guard.
Switching the Celtics' pick-and-rolls can take away the momentum on the dribble penetration, but when the ball handler can just pull the ball back and make an entry pass to Porzingis at the elbow, it challenges your principles. Help on the Porzingis mismatch and the Celtics are well-trained to get the ball zooming around the perimeter to find an open shot. It's a lose-lose situation, which is why this Boston team just picked up its 77th win of the season.
Doncic is an incredible player, but he isn't good enough to win the title if Boston has the next five or six best players in this series.
