Game 1 of the NBA Finals appeared to be close until Kristaps Porzingis checked in with just over seven minutes left in the first quarter. Boston quickly extended a lead from 12-11 to 37-20 at the end of the quarter.
- Six observations from Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals
- The Celtics are a different team with Kristaps Porzingis
- Jaylen Brown was the best player in Game 1
- The Celtics threw the sink at Luka Doncic
- Dallas role players were pumpkins again
- Kyrie Irving played well on defense, but the Mavs needed more offense
- The Celtics once again denied the criticism of “Too many three-pointers”
The Mavericks made a run for what was a 29-point lead to single digits midway through the third quarter, but a strong finish by the Celtics caused Jason Kidd to pull his starters with more than four minutes left in the game.
Boston comfortably took Game 1, 107-89, extending its playoff winning streak to eight games.
Here were the most important keys to Game 1.
Six observations from Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals
The Celtics are a different team with Kristaps Porzingis
Porzingis completely changed the tone of the game in the first quarter. He showed absolutely no rust in his 38 days off, making impact plays on both ends of the floor that extended beyond his 20 points, six rebounds and three blocks.
He altered a ton of shots, helping force the Mavericks to their lowest score of the playoffs.
Kristaps Porzingis was everywhere in that first quarter. Crazy two-way game. The C’s looked like a totally different team than what we have seen in these playoffs. pic.twitter.com/UCpnJvjuSz
—Steph Noh (@StephNoh) June 7, 2024
Porzingis’ post play fueled much of Boston’s offense. Dallas tried to switch to smaller players against him, and he finished just above them on automatic jumpers.
If this is the Porzingis the Celtics are getting all series, then it’s hard to see Boston losing. There was some debate early in this game about who would be the third best player in this series between Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown. It turned out to be Porzingis.
Jaylen Brown was the best player in Game 1
Brown played remarkable defense throughout the game, guarding Luka Doncic and breaking up plays at the rim. He had three steals and three blocks for the Celtics.
As good as he was on defense, Brown was even better on offense. He scored a team-high 22 points on just 12 shots.
The Celtics came in with a clear game plan to attack Doncic as much as possible by involving him in screen actions. Brown was extremely aggressive on those switches, passing to Doncic to set up shots for him or his teammates. It was a particular point of emphasis after free throws or other interruptions in play.
After Dallas’ free throw, Joe Mazzulla headed straight toward Jaylen Brown aiming for Luka. pic.twitter.com/3gLeJ83JaC
—Steph Noh (@StephNoh) June 7, 2024
Brown was the best Celtic when they reached the 2022 NBA Finals. That may be the case again this year.
The Celtics threw the sink at Luka Doncic
Nobody stops Doncic. He had 30 points and 10 rebounds in this game. But he also had just one assist and shot 46.2 percent from the field on 12-of-26 shooting. That’s all you can hope for to stop it.
The Celtics did it in several ways. He changed coverage constantly throughout the game. They threw different bodies at him. And they crowded the paint, forcing their teammates to beat them.
Doncic did his job, but his teammates let him down.
Dallas role players were pumpkins again
“Our job is to try to limit the other guys as much as we can,” Tatum said of Dallas’ role players in his postgame interview on ABC.
That game plan worked wonderfully.
Dereck Lively II looked like a rookie in his first Finals game, playing only 18 minutes and 29 seconds due to foul trouble. Derrick Jones Jr. was 2-of-9 and scored just five points. His athleticism didn’t work against Boston’s length. PJ Washington played well, scoring 14 points, as did Jaden Hardy with 13 off the bench.
Dallas got nothing from the rest of its rotation. Looking to find some kind of spark, Kidd even gave Tim Hardaway Jr. a few minutes. He badly missed a jumper to end the third quarter.
The dunks that have fueled Dallas’ run weren’t there. The Celtics were too good, too well-positioned and too big.
Kyrie Irving played well on defense, but the Mavs needed more offense
Irving was giving it his all on defense, diving to the floor and recording two steals. But he needed to be the second-best player in this game to win, and his offense wasn’t there.
Irving scored just 12 points on 6-of-19 shooting, including 0-of-5 on 3-pointers. He missed some wide open looks that are normally automatic for him. Those should decrease throughout the series, but this was the worst time to be unlucky.
The Celtics once again denied the criticism of “Too many three-pointers”
All season long, the Celtics have been criticized for relying too much on 3-pointers. That strategy looks pretty good when you hit them. More than half of his shot attempts came from deep in Game 1, and his 16 of 42 from that distance was good for 38.1 percent.
The Celtics’ 115.1 offensive rating was a solid average for the playoffs. However, they completely shut down the Mavs’ offense, and that was the recipe for success.
There will be plenty of time for both teams to adjust before Game 2 on Sunday. Dallas’ prerogative will be how to make Irving work. Boston will focus on improving the appearance of Tatum, who lost six times and scored just 16 points.
Dallas looked overmatched in Game 1, but this series is far from over.
