The Dallas Mavericks were defeated 107-89 by the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, despite trailing by as many as 29 points. This is the third time the Mavericks have lost a series opening this postseason, with the only exception being in the Western Conference finals versus Minnesota Timberwolves.
Kristaps Porzingis had not played since midway through the first round of the playoffs, so the Celtics brought him off the bench for his return to the lineup. He supplied a huge spark.
After the Mavericks took a 9-5 lead, the Celtics went on a 7-0 run. Dallas replied with a 4-0 run, spearheaded by Irving, to lead 13-12 and call a timeout at 6:58 in the first quarter. Irving swiped the ball, drew a foul from Brown, and then made two tough pull-up short-range jumpers.
Boston attempted a high frequency of 3-pointers early in the game, while Dallas frequently collapsed on drives. The Celtics produced a high volume of makes. The Mavericks squandered second and third-chance opportunities following long misses, frequently early.
The Mavericks prioritized drawing Porzingis’ man into the action by having him guard Washington before blitzing. Boston frequently dared Washington or Jones to shoot from the perimeter to load up in the paint, making it difficult for Dallas to overcome.
Several Mavericks role players, including Washington and Jaden Hardy, attempted to attack aggressively in transition and came up empty. Porzingis began to outplay Dallas with a dunk on Lively, blocking Hardy at the rim in a pick-and-roll, and then hitting a face-up jump shot. Boston used this sequence of play to go up 28-18 with 2:20 remaining in the period, giving them their first double-digit lead of the game.
Boston made three consecutive three-pointers. Jayson Tatum made a side-step from deep, Porzingis sank a trailer 3-pointer, and Sam Hauser scored on a fiercely fought corner shot. With Porzingis blocking his third shot of the quarter, Boston led 37-20 entering the second quarter.
Porzingis continued to punish the Mavericks for guarding him with smaller defenders, frequently shooting a face-up jumper. He scored his 15th point of the game on a face-up jumper on his second consecutive play, putting Boston up 48-27 with 6:29 remaining before halftime.
Midway through the second quarter, Dallas decided to go small with Maxi Kleber and Washington in the frontcourt, making it easier to switch things and play a five-out attack.
After hitting a disputed corner 3-pointer, Brown ripped the ball from Doncic for his second breakaway dunk of the half, after a poster slam over Gafford. He had a terrific first half, with numerous spectacular plays.
Not only did Boston shoot well from beyond the arc, going 11-27 (40.7%) in the first half, but Dallas was punished in the paint. It was difficult to obtain stops with Holiday’s dropoff pass to White resulting in a slam and Tatum and Brown picking on smaller wing defenders, frequently changing directions before attacking the rim for dunks. Throughout the first half, the Celtics demonstrated incredible shotmaking and overall execution on both ends.
Dallas opened the third quarter on a 10-5 run, extending the lead to 16 points with 7:42 remaining. Irving was aggressively attacking downhill. Doncic attacked the rim for a finish, cutting the margin to 14 points. Porzingis returned to the game when Holiday was shooting free throws.
The Mavericks trailed by single digits for the first time since early in the game, having outscored Boston 22-9 after halftime. Doncic aggressively attacked the paint and warmed up from beyond the arc, including a step-back 3-pointer and a pull-up 3 after Brown slid under a screen. He contributed 12 of Dallas’ 22 points during this time.
The Mavericks’ defense switched more, and Lively tried to hold his own defensively, which led to his fifth foul late in the third quarter. Dallas tried new things, including throwing in Tim Hardaway Jr. after he had fallen out of the rotation.
Boston heated up, restoring a 22-point lead late in the third quarter with a 14-2 run to seal the game. With only 12 minutes to erase a 20-point hole, the Mavericks were unable to recover. There was no way back when a turnover at 8:34 in the fourth quarter resulted in a transition finish for White that put the Celtics ahead 92-71.
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