BOSTON, MA — In the NBA Playoffs, every team is capable of making a run, but not everybody can respond to them. On Thursday night, the Celtics did both in Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals en route to a 107-89 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
After leading by as much as 29 points, Dallas cut Boston's massive advantage all the way down to eight in the third quarter. In response, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla called a quick timeout to calm his guys down. Previous Celtics teams might've let the game get away from them in this situation, yet Mazzulla's men figured it out in a big way, rattling off a 14-0 run right out of the stoppage.
This counterpunch from the Celtics killed the Mavs' momentum and led to the Green Team's eighth consecutive win, which is good enough for their longest win streak in postseason history. Boston can extend its historic win streak even further on Sunday night for Game 2 at TD Garden.
But, before the next showdown of this championship series, let's look at three Celtics takeaways from their 18-point win against Dallas.
Jaylen Brown delivers again
2024 Eastern Conference Finals MVP Jaylen Brown did it all for the C's on Thursday night.
The 27-year-old dropped 22 points (7-for-12 shooting), six rebounds, and two assists. When the Celtics needed a bucket, he was able to use his athleticism to rock the rim on multiple occasions. He also slowed it up a few times and methodically broke down Dallas' defense, which isn't something the fast-paced guard generally prefers. His ability to attack the Mavericks in both ways was a huge boost for Boston's offense.
“That's what I've been doing all season long, is just getting to the paint, and that just opens up—that puts a lot of pressure on the defense,” Brown said in his postgame remarks following Game 1. “We got a lot of guys that can shoot the ball. Making those reads and stuff is big for us, so got to continue to maintain that throughout the season, throughout the series.”
On the defensive side of the ball, Brown was arguably even better. He had three steals and three blocks and never backed down when guarding Mavericks' stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
“Defense is what we got to hang our hat on,” he stated.
Brown's defense is a major reason why the Celtics ended their semifinal series against the Pacers so quickly, and Boston will only benefit from his commitment to being a true, two-way player.
Kristaps Porzingis had a huge stretch
Prior to Friday night, Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis hadn't seen a minute of action since Game 4 of the first round. So, there was no telling how he'd bounce back from his soleus strain.
Not only did he seem healthy in Game 1, but he also powered Boston's offense for nearly the entirety of the first half. Through the first two quarters, the Latvian big man had 18 points, three rebounds, and two blocks off the bench. He ended the contest with 20 points (8-for-13 from the field), six rebounds, and three blocks.
“Obviously it wasn't ideal that I was out for such a long time, but I did everything I could to prepare mentally for this moment coming back and it paid off and we got the job done tonight and had a good game,” Porzingis said of his Finals debut.
Despite his questionable health, Porzingis dominated on both ends of the floor for the Celtics. His 11 points in the first quarter helped jumpstart the C's and put pressure on the Mavericks almost immediately. Without him, Thursday night could've gone a lot worse for Boston.
“He's a matchup nightmare,” guard Derrick White said when asked about Porzingis' performance. “Even when you play good defense, he doesn't really see you. It's been unreal just watching him all year. Then defensively, he uses his size well, just impacts the games in so many different ways. He changes us and he makes us a better team.”
The Celtics were able to win without perfection
In this late stage of the season, wins are welcomed by any means necessary. Although Boston prevailed by a double-digit margin, it was far from a clean game.
The Celtics had 12 turnovers, shot under 70% from the free-throw line, and let a 29-point lead shrink all the way down to eight points. In addition, Game 1 was not Celtics star Jayson Tatum's finest hour. He finished with 16 points on 16 shots and a rough six turnovers in 42 minutes of play.
Despite Tatum's offensive struggles, Boston persevered and had a response for every Dallas run.
“We played well tonight,” Tatum told the media. “There's a lot of things we feel like we could do better. But it definitely does feel good to win the first game … We still have a lot of work to do.”
In past postseasons, perhaps the Celtics would've never recovered after their early third-quarter struggles. Yet, the 2023-24 C's buckled down on defense and cleaned up the turnovers down the stretch, coughing it up just two times in the final 12 minutes of the contest.
Of course, a Game 1 victory isn't enough for Boston. The Green Team took a 1-0 lead in the 2022 NBA Finals but ultimately fell to the dynastic Golden State Warriors in six games. The Celtics will aim to learn from their mistakes and protect home court on Sunday evening for Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Finals.
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