Boston in a Massive Show of Force; Wallops Dallas, 107-89 in Game 1
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 07 Jun 2024
Boston introduced Dallas to what it is to be in the NBA Finals in a huge show of force in Game 1 on the way to a 107-89 victory over the Mavericks at the TD Garden Arena.
The Celtics started like a house on fire, immediately posting double digit leads in the first two quarters with the halftime ending at 63-42 in their favor. Boston outshoot Dallas from the floor including the three points area.
Meanwhile, the strategy of daring Dallas main men Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to try and beat the Celtics defense on their own worked like wonder.
Doncic in his first Finals appearance, gave the impression he can handle the pressure, scoring a team high 30 points. But partner Irving who has had previous experiences seemed to crack in the face of Boston's resolute team defense tallying just 12 points.
On the other side, it seemed to be just another day in office for the more experienced Boston with six Celts in double figures accounting for 95 points with Jaylen Brown and comebacking starting center Kristaps Porzingis leading in scoring with 22 and 20 points respectively.
Doncic and Irving on a good night can score 60 or more points but this opening game showed the limitation and drawback of relying on two players to carry much of the scoring load. Especially when the opposing team is also dialed in to their supporting cast.
PJ Williamson only managed 14 points while Jalen Hardy came off the bench for 13 points. Other than them, no other Mav posted significant numbers.
Porzingis, other than scoring, clearly won the battle of the big men with Al Horford outplaying Mavs Derrick Lively II, Daniel Galford Washington and Max Kleber.
And there's more.
Jason Tatum allowed Porzingis and Brown to lead on offense and yet he was good for 16 points and team high 10 rebounds. Derrick White contributed 15 points while Jrue Holiday added 12 points and 8 rebounds. Reserve center Al Horford contributed 10 points and 7 rebounds while off the bench Sam Hauser pitched in 8 markers.
Boston outrebounded the Mavs while registering a game high 9 shot blocks.
It will be interesting to see how Dallas will adjust in Game 2 which will be played also in Boston.
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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