Kristaps Porzingis Dominates Game 1 as Celtics vs. Mavericks Series Heats Up

“As a matchup, he’s a nightmare,” marveled Derrick White. “Even if you play good defense, he barely notices you. And defensively, he uses his length well and influences the game in many ways. He makes us a different, a better team.” Whatever the Mavericks tried in this phase, it had no effect on the Latvian’s hot hand. “He was able to attack the switches and the following mismatches and made them pay for it time and time again,” praised Jaylen Brown, and spoke of a “monster game”: “We need that from him in the series.”

Whether KP can consistently deliver like that, especially offensively, remains to be seen. “The support was really awesome,” he praised the crowd in the TD Garden, who cheered him on frenetically. “The adrenaline was flowing through my veins, that definitely helped.” The body has to process this high first, digest the unusual strain. And in Game 3 in Dallas at the latest, Porzingis can expect a completely different atmosphere.

However, if he can play a consistent 20 to 25 minutes over the course of the series, that could be enough to turn the series around – and perhaps end it surprisingly early. Not just offensively, where he will almost inevitably get open shots due to his strong teammates – and given his stature, he almost only gets open shots. Defensively, too, he presents the Mavs with completely different challenges than Al Horford can at the age of 38.

“He was great for them,” Doncic also had to admit. “He made shots on one side and blocked shots on the other.” Dallas will have to come up with something to deal with the big man, who is apparently back in top shape. He will also benefit from the three-day break before Game 2 and then again before Game 3.

Celtics vs. Mavericks: Die Stats-Leader in Spiel 1

2024-06-07 08:34:00
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