Subscribe
Follow Us
The Dallas Mavericks fell 107-89 to the Boston Celtics in game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night, despite Dallas superstar Luka Doncic having a big night.
With his 30 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, Doncic became the first player since Tim Duncan to have a 30-point double-double in their NBA Finals debut.
Duncan achieved the feat for the San Antonio Spurs in 1999 when, in Game 1 vs. the New York Knicks on June 16, 1999, he had 33 points and 16 rebounds in his team's 89-77 win.
Despite Luka's Game 1 performance, the Mavericks clearly have some things that they need to figure out going forward in the series.
Kyrie Irving, while facing boos from fans of his former team, scored just 12 points and went 6-19 from the field and 0-5 from deep. He added just three rebounds and two assists. Overall, Irving had a plus-minus of minus-19.
Doncic is a great player. Having PJ Washington as a third scorer is crucial. However, Dallas will not win this series if Irving cannot find his groove from an offensive standpoint.
The most important takeaway is to not panic. The Mavericks dropped Game 1 in both the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder series. Yet, Dallas still ended up winning those series.
Sure, it was an ugly loss for the Mavs. They will not be pleased with the team's overall performance. Nevertheless, Dallas is more than capable of rebounding and upsetting Boston in Game 2.
Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic need to make this message clear to the team. The last thing Dallas can afford to do right now is panic and play sloppy basketball in Game 2. That would certainly be a recipe for disaster.
Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis crushes Mavericks
Apparently, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla posits that the best way for the Celtics to win was for Kristaps Porzingis to come off the bench. . In just 21 minutes of action, Porzingis was able to knock down eight out of his 13 shots while shooting his three-pointers at a 50% clip. All of which added up to 20 points to help the Celtics top the Mavericks 107-89.
It was not just in offense where Porzingis excelled. He also prevented the Mavericks from getting to the rim by either meeting them at the apex of their shot or playing impressive drop coverage. Porzingis had three big blocks on the night and his positioning below the rim also got him an easy six rebounds to end the night.
Understandably, Celtics fans wanted more of Porzingis. While coach Mazzulla has stated that he has no minute restriction, they are still trying to err on the side of caution. There is no good reason to overplay someone who is prone to injuries in a game that was already won. Moreover, the NBA Finals is a seven-game series and they need his production along with the presence he brings to win the Celtics' 18th banner.
