Boston Celtics Dominate Dallas Mavericks in NBA Finals Game 1

Playoffs NBA – playoffs – day 49

Boston CelticsDallas Mavericks

Before the first game of the NBA Finals, Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd celebrated his team’s successful victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, the best defense in the NBA. “We beat the best defense, now we have to play against the second best,” he sounded confident in reference to the Celtics. Those from Boston, however, dried up those from Dallas, who were left with their lowest score of the entire postseason and were defeated 107-89 in the first game of the NBA final. “We didn’t do our job well,” Luka Dončić summed up succinctly.

The Slovenian guard lamented how the Celtics’ man-to-man defense and continuous help had cut off his passing lanes. He finished the game with only one assist, something unusual for him. And when he gritted his teeth and assumed the offensive role himself in the third quarter, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla put Jrue Holiday to dry him off, giving way to another stretch by the locals that left the game doomed.

“We have to focus on the next game,” Dončić said at a press conference at the TD Garden after the defeat. “I think we had some good shots. Only we didn’t put them in. But we have to go game by game. The first match is over. We have to watch the film, what we did wrong, and focus only on the next one,” he insisted. The number 77 of the Dallas Mavericks believes that the team has to play again like in that stretch at the beginning of the second half of the game, where he closed the gap and was about to get up from the canvas. What worked there? “I think we were playing our basketball at that time,” he replied. “We didn’t allow them offensive rebounds. We had fun in those moments, and that’s what we have to continue doing,” he continued, admitting that the team had been outplayed at both ends for most of the game.

Irving whistled in Boston

The Mavericks’ other key offensive piece, Kyrie Irving, was overcome by environmental pressure. They do not remember him fondly in Boston, because they believe that during his time there he did not make an effort to perform at his level. “I appreciate the experience of overcoming the first game,” he said, acknowledging that “a lot of emotions” had assaulted him. He was whistled from the warm-up until the end of the game. Every time the ball came to him, the decibels in TD Garden went up. And he was rarely able to silence them with his game.

“Tonight we did not play as we would have liked. I start with me, with being able to go out there and settle down. I have to take responsibility for communication and going out there and getting used to the type of environment that there was going to be,” he acknowledged. “They came out and soon hit us in the mouth. The public rallied to us. We lost by 17 in the first quarter. It’s not like us to concede 37 points. It had happened to us before in the playoffs, but we just wanted to make it much more difficult for them. They made a lot of triples,” he lamented. “When you get them going like this, they play the rest of the game very easily,” he continued, to also prepare for this Sunday’s duel: “Let’s learn the lesson and prepare for a good second game,” he said in the circle. press release, in which he did not seem surprised by the reception: “I thought it was going to be a little louder even, but I expect the same for the second game. The crowd tries to take me out of my element.”

Coach Jason Kidd also wanted to turn the page. “I think you have to give the Celtics credit. They did a great defensive job, they made it difficult for us. We had good shots that didn’t go in. We have to move the ball, it got stuck too much. We will improve in the second game,” he said. “We have to be better. You have to give the Celtics credit. They were good tonight. But again, we have to improve. We cannot use nerves or not having been in this situation before as an excuse. “It’s just basketball, and we have to be better on Sunday,” he added.

Coaches and players from both teams recognized that Kristaps Porziņģis, who was returning from several weeks out due to a muscle injury, was the key man of the match. His 18 points in the first half made the difference. And he also participated in the Celtics’ reaction in the third quarter. For him, the victory has a special meaning, not only for his return from injury, but also for demonstrating his worth to those in Dallas, where he did not succeed.

The Latvian center thanked the TD Garden audience for their spectacular reception. “From warming up before the game and then walking onto the court, getting that kind of support was unreal. Adrenaline was running through my veins and that definitely helped. Obviously, it wasn’t ideal to be out for so long, but I did everything I could to prepare myself mentally for the moment of my return, and it was worth it,” he explained at the end of the game.

His coach, Joe Mazzulla, showered him with flowers: “He was great on both sides of the court, in the defensive execution, in the game plan, playing for a position in the attack, being physical and making plays on both sides of the court . I think he has played very well and that he is the KP that has helped us get to where we are today,” he explained.

Mazzulla also praised the team’s defensive mentality, which managed to keep Dallas under 25 points in all four quarters of the game. Jrue Holiday and Porziņģis had much of the credit, but the entire team sacrificed and prevented the Mavericks from developing their game. The Celtics coach especially praised Jaylen Brown, who was also the team’s leading scorer with 22 points.

“What we saw tonight is the challenge he set for himself at the beginning of the year. Not wanting to be defined by one thing. He wanted to be a complete player and get better and better,” Mazzulla said of Brown. “Normally, when you lose a streak and your offense stagnates a little bit, your defense goes with it. Tonight our defense kept us in and that’s very important, having that defensive mentality. Some of those plays Jaylen made were part of that,” he added.

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2024-06-07 05:17:23
#Luka #Dončić #didnt #job #Basketball #Sports