The Mavs reached the Finals averaging 107.9 points and 22.4 assists per game in the playoffs. The main reason they lost Game 1 was because they managed only 89 points and a shockingly low nine assists as a team. That was the lowest total since the Knicks’ eight assists in 1999.
The Celtics figured out a way to completely shut down Dallas’ ball, which starts with Luka Doncic. He only had one assist in the entire game.
Here’s how the Celtics executed a great game plan to stop Luka’s passing and how sustainable it is for the rest of the series.
How the Celtics stopped the death of Luka Doncic
The Celtics defended Luka (for the most part) one-on-one
The main reason Luka couldn’t come out like he had in previous series was because of the way the Celtics chose to guard him.
“Most of the time they play one-on-one,” Doncic said. “They didn’t send much help. That’s why [I had one assist]”.
The reason the Celtics were able to play Luka one-on-one when other teams couldn’t is because of how good their switching personnel is. Jaylen Brown was the main player with him, but they were comfortable trading anyone but Kristaps Porzingis and living with the results.
The change negates the advantage created by screens, which is the heart and soul of Dallas’ offense. Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White are excellent defenders who switched and forced Luka to make a mediocre 12 of 26 shots from the field.
Even the matchups the Celtics didn’t want held up well. Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard voluntarily switched and Doncic missed. Al Horford was surprisingly good in those one-on-one situations.
Luka Doncic when 38-year-old Al Horford was the lead defender in Game 1, per NBA tracking:
1-8 FG, 0-4 3PT, 1 BLACK, 2 PTS
The Mavs were 5-19 from the field (26.3 field goals%) against Horford overall. The team high was 13 contested shots, 3 deflections. pic.twitter.com/fPAzSxII7q
—Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) June 7, 2024
The Celtics didn’t double-team Doncic on ball screens, but they did send a second defender late to contest a shot on rare occasions. That worked because how unpredictable and distant those late help plays were.
The Celtics’ ball pressure on Luka was also fantastic. He was forced to commit four unusual turnovers. They have some ballhawks on his team.
The ball pressure on Luka was excellent in Game 1. The Celtics targeted him several times (I’m looking at you, Sam Hauser). pic.twitter.com/aSBi2PgyoV
—Steph Noh (@StephNoh) June 7, 2024
Celtics found smart ways to keep Porzingis away from Doncic
The only matchup the Celtics wanted to avoid was Porzingis versus Doncic. The Mavs reached for it here and there and were successful in those changes.
Most of the guys Luka tried to target (Horford, Pritchard, Hauser) held up well defensively.
The only Celtic who had some issues (and Mazzulla did a great job keeping him mostly out of that matchup) was Porzingis. pic.twitter.com/8OIzfXfpTx
—Steph Noh (@StephNoh) June 7, 2024
So how did Joe Mazzulla stop Luka from attacking Porzingis?
The Celtics came out with a great game plan of having Horford and Porzingis at guard, PJ Washington or Derrick Jones Jr. instead of putting them at center for Dallas. In doing so, they neutralized the Mavericks’ passing attack.
Those lob plays work because Dereck Lively or Daniel Gafford sets a screen for Luka and then rolls to the basket. But with Porzingis guarding one wing, he could stay close to the rim and disrupt those plays.
Dallas tried to adjust by having Washington or Jones Jr. set the screen for Luka instead of a big man, forcing Porzingis to defend those plays. The Celtics responded by leaving Dallas’ role players mostly open from the 3-point line.
This will be the key for the rest of the Finals. Can Dallas make Boston pay when Porzingis leaves his man open like this to help contain Luka?
The Mavs were unable to take advantage in Game 1. pic.twitter.com/Wihb07PBwm
—Steph Noh (@StephNoh) June 7, 2024
In the cases where Porzingis met with Lively, the Celtics did an incredible job of previously removing Porzingis from that matchup. When Lively was going to set a screen, another Celtic switched to keep Porzingis away from Luka.
Dallas will continue to try to find ways to get Porzingis to Luka, because that’s their best way to score. And Boston will continue to try to prevent that from happening. That’s the big chess game of the rest of the series.
Possible adjustments the Mavericks can make
Mavs fans may have wondered why Maxi Kleber played so much over Lively and Gafford in Game 1. That was in direct response to how Porzingis was playing defense.
Kleber is, on paper, a good big man who can also switch skillfully against some of the Celtics’ wing scorers. The Celtics had to respect his shot, keeping the lane more open for Luka. He is also a better pick-and-pop option who can punish Boston’s bigs when playing drop coverage. The Mavs could continue testing him.
The Mavs could also go back to running more double-drag screens, which were very effective for them during the playoffs. For whatever reason, they mostly strayed from their best set-up play in Game 1. When they tried, they succeeded.
And funny enough, in that rep:
1) DAL layered it with a touch of DJJ
2) Al Horford finished in the strong side corner, opening a lane to Luka’s right. pic.twitter.com/zPXLOzfQIN
— Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) June 7, 2024
Dallas could get that back in Game 2. They will continue to try to draft Porzingis. He was so amazing around the basket as a rim protector that Dallas will have to figure out how to get him to defend closer to the perimeter.
Mainly, Dallas will have to find a way to get Jones Jr., Washington and Kyrie Irving back to their high-scoring production from previous rounds. Luka didn’t have a bad game. But he can’t do it himself and his teammates need to take open shots.
