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The Boston Celtics took Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals in convincing fashion, defeating the Dallas Mavericks, 107-89, to come to within three wins away from banner number 18. However, the Celtics' victory, as convincing as it was, did not come without its fair share of rocky moments. In particular, Luka Doncic and the Mavs had cut their lead down to eight with 4:28 left in the third quarter after the Celtics took a 21-point lead into the halftime interval.
Stops and scores became the theme of the Mavericks during the first eight minutes of the first half. They forced the Celtics into difficult shots to begin the third; Boston shot eight jumpers and missed seven of them as Dallas went on a 22-9 run. (They survived on one Jayson Tatum layup, four free throws, and a single Derrick White three-ball.)
Head coach Joe Mazzulla took a timeout, which allowed the Celtics to recompose themselves. After a few errors from the Mavericks, the Celtics went on and regained control of the game. They went out on a 14-2 run to close out the quarter, with the Celtics even making three threes on three consecutive possessions, and they would not look back. Mazzulla then praised his team for staying the course and bracing for the inevitable Mavs run, which they handled with the poise of a championship team.
“I like the way we handled their run, because that's going to happen,” Mazzulla said, per Keith Smith of Spotrac.
In particular, the Celtics head coach lauded the team's two stars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, for coming back with a vengeance after the Mavericks came to within striking distance. Tatum and Brown made it a point to attack the rim, collapsing the Mavs' defense on multiple occasions, which either led to free-throw attempts or an open look from three.
“That's what those guys do. They have the ability to draw two guys and most importantly, they were making the right play over and over again, doing what's best for the team,” Mazzulla added, via Noa Dalzell of SB Nation's Celtics Blog. “I thought their decision-making helped control the game, especially when they [Dallas] went on that run.”
Joe Mazzulla praised Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum’s poise and decision-making several times in his postgame presser:
“I thought their decision-making helped control the game — especially when they [Dallas] went on that run, we were able to get that back.” pic.twitter.com/2GbLL6Yc9M
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzellNBA) June 7, 2024
Jaylen Brown led the team in a balanced effort; he scored a game-high 22 points, and most importantly, was a force to be reckoned with on the defensive end. Meanwhile, Jayson Tatum had a more quiet game, but he filled in the box score for the Celtics, tallying 16 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists as they go out and take a 1-0 lead in the 2024 NBA Finals.
Celtics thoroughly outplay the Mavericks
Basketball is famously a game of runs, and the Celtics took Game 1 handily by going on huge runs to end the first and third quarters. The Mavericks did not help themselves at all; during the third quarter, it wasn't like the Celtics immediately figured it out after the Mavs had cut their lead to eight.
The Mavs threw the ball away on consecutive possessions on heartbreaking traveling infractions, one from Dereck Lively II and the other surprisingly coming from footwork master Kyrie Irving. From there, the Celtics took off and never looked back.
Entering the series, many analysts saw that the Celtics were going to pose problems for the Mavericks that they did not encounter during their run to the NBA Finals. The Mavs always had someone to dare to shoot from beyond the arc, which opened the door for either Lively or Daniel Gafford to more freely protect the rim. The Celtics would give the Mavs no such luxury.
In the early goings of the game, it was clear that the Celtics were going to impose their will on the series; it was going to boil down to whether or not they can make shots, and make shots they did in Game 1. They finished 16-42 from beyond the arc to open the 2024 NBA Finals, with all five starters making two or more threes. Moreover, Kristaps Porzingis and Sam Hauser gave the team additional firepower off the bench, with the two making a pair of triples each.
The three-ball has been the Celtics' bread and butter throughout the 2023-24 season. They have made it a point to launch as many threes as possible, and it resulted in the greatest offense (in terms of offensive rating) in NBA history.
As is the case with jump-shooting teams, they will be subject to variance. But the Celtics pose a matchup nightmare for the Mavericks, enabling them to either get a good shot at the rim, draw some fouls, or create open looks from beyond the arc on nearly every possession. And with these Celtics being hardened by their loss in the NBA Finals two years ago, they look poised to go all the way.
