Boston Celtics icon Paul Pierce couldn't help but call out and troll the doubters after the Beantown team took down the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.

Heading to the Boston-Dallas showdown, fans and experts alike expressed concern about the Celtics' ability to get the job done against a battle-tested Mavericks squad. The Mavs had a hard road to the Finals after beating three 50-win teams as a fifth seed in the Western Conference. In contrast, Boston had a rather lighter path after facing teams that have been hit with the injury bug. Jayson Tatum and Co. lost just twice in the playoffs so far, even sweeping the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Many argued that since the Celtics haven't been really tested yet, they would struggle against a Mavericks team that is brimming with confidence. Not to mention that Dallas unarguably has the best player remaining in the postseason in Luka Doncic.

Come Game 1, though, the Celtics showed why they are the best team in the NBA during the 2023-24 season. They led by as much as 29 points against the Mavericks before settling for the 107-89 victory.

A day after the victory, Pierce made sure to mock those people who doubted the Celtics. On X (formerly Twitter), the one-time champion said: “Why everyone so quiet today.”

Jaylen Brown, Celtics still wary of Mavericks

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) controls the ball against Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) in the third quarter during game one of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden.
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Despite the Celtics dominating the Mavericks in Game 1, superstar wing Jaylen Brown is not fully satisfied with their performance. Dallas' MVP candidate Luka Doncic was still sensational in the contest, dropping a 30-point double-double with 30 points and 10 rebounds. The Slovenian offensive juggernaut went 12-of-26 from the field as Boston focused on stopping his teammates instead.

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While Brown and Co. did a great job limiting the rest of the Mavs outside Doncic, the Eastern Conference Finals MVP wants a more complete game from the team. Brown knows very well that if they don't find a way to limit Doncic, they will have a hard time consistently dominating Dallas.

“It was a full team effort and you know Luka Doncic still had 30 and 10, so we gotta do a better job. But you know, it's a full team effort. Tonight we got lucky a few times, but we got to get ready for Game 2,” Brown shared.

For what it's worth, though, Brown did praise the Celtics for the resilience they showed when the Mavericks were mounting a comeback. In the third quarter, Dallas went on a big run and cut Boston's 21-point halftime lead to just eight. Fortunately, the C's bounced back and responded with a run of their own to get their lead back to 20 points by the end of the period.

“When they cut (the lead) to eight, that’s when the game started. I liked how our team responded. We stayed composed. Offensively, we got to our spacing and were able to push that lead back out and make some plays on offense. That was a big third quarter. We just said, just breathe. The game is starting now. Just breathe, this is a moment where our experience shines through. Just breathe, just keep playing basketball,” Brown shared.

Game 2 of the Celtics-Mavericks NBA Finals series is on Sunday. Sure enough, Brown and the rest of Boston will have to be ready for a fiery response from their wonder rivals.