BOSTON – Game 1 of the NBA Finals was not exactly the best of times for the Dallas Mavericks.
With a huge nudge from former Mavs center Kristaps Porzingis, the Boston Celtics built a massive 29-point lead in the second quarter and went on to cruise to a relatively easy, 107-89, victory over the Mavs on Thursday night at TD Garden in the best-of-seven series opener.
Game 2 will be here on Sunday at 7 p.m. before the series shifts to Dallas for Game 3 on Wednesday and Game 4 on June 14.
It was a very impressive series opener by the Celtics, who made seven three-pointers in the first quarter and limited the Mavs to just nine assists for the game.
“Give the Celtics credit,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “They did a great job defending, making it tough on us.
“We had some good looks that didn’t go down. We’ve got to move the ball. The ball just stuck too much, and we’ll be better in Game 2.”
A game-changing 44-14 run by Boston – bridging the first and second quarters – helped the Celtics build a massive 58-29 lead with 4:09 left before halftime following a three-pointer by Jayson Tatum. It was as if the Mavs – many of whom were in the NBA Finals for the first time — were shell-shocked.
“I think this is the best team in the NBA and they are good for a reason,” Kidd said. “They play their style of basketball at a high rate.
“Nerves or not being in this situation, we can’t use that as an excuse. It’s just basketball, and we’ve got to be better at the game of basketball on Sunday.”
The Mavs were much better at the game of basketball in the third quarter when they inched to within 72-64 of the Celtics at the 4:27 mark after a three-pointer by Luka Dončić . Dallas was on the verge of getting closer, but Dereck Lively II was whistled for traveling, and the Celtics went on a 14-2 romp to end the third quarter and carry an 86-66 lead into the fourth after consecutive three-pointers from Tatum, Al Horford and Jaylen Brown.
“I think they are the best three-point shooting team in the NBA, so sometimes it’s really hard to take those away,” Dončić said. “Especially when they have five guys out and they can all shoot.
“Obviously, we’ve got to make more. We didn’t make enough shots today to beat them, but we’ve got to be better on both ends.”
The Mavs also have to be better at containing Porzingis. Playing for the first time since straining his right calf in Game 4 of the first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat on April 29, Porzingis looked fresh, and was very effective against his former team.
The game, in fact, started heavily tilting in Boston’s favor when Porzingis entered the contest for the first time with 7:17 remaining in the first quarter. Feeding off the energy of the sellout crowd, Porzingis scored 11 of his 20 points in the first quarter, which ended with the Celtics up 37-20.
“KP was great (and) he knocked down shots,” Kidd said. “He changed shots, he blocked shots (and) he gave them a spark when he came off the bench.
“We’ve just got to make it a little bit tougher on the offensive end. We’ve got to make him do something different. He got great looks and knocked them down.”
Dončić paced the Mavs with 30 points and 10 rebounds, but only generated one assist — his fewest in a game this season and his fewest ever in a playoff game. Asked what the Celtics did that made ball distribution so difficult, Dončić said: “They 
mostly play one-on-one. They send a lot of help. So that’s why.”
Kyrie Irving, meanwhile, was in the midst of a forgettable game. Irving, who played for the Celtics from 2017-19, collected just 12 points and was only 6-of-19 from the field and was booed practically every time he touched the ball.
“Being in this environment, I’m used to it at this point,” Irving said. “Early in my career there was a different relationship that I had with Boston. Now I’m here as a veteran, over the past few years, just experiencing the playoffs here, even regular season, it’s been the same thing.
“I thought it was going to be a little louder in here, but I’m expecting the same things going into Game 2. Crowd trying to get me out of my element. But again, the energy has to be focused toward the game. I felt like I had a lot of great looks. They hit back rim or were just a little left or right. Just got to stay confident and stay poised throughout this.”
The Celtics were poised enough to shoot 47.6 percent from the field and convert 16-of-42 three-pointers for 38.1 percent. On the flip side, the Mavs shot 41.7 percent from the floor and missed 20 of their 27 attempts from beyond the three-point arc (25.9 percent). And the 89 points the Mavs scored were their fewest in a playoff game this season.
“We just have to stay connected, stay together,” said P.J. Washington. “I felt like we let the crowd get to us a little bit, let the refs get to us, let them making shots get to us. But at the end of the day we just have to stick together and be ourselves.”
Jaylen Brown paced the Celtics with 22 points, Tatum scored 16 points, Derrick White tallied 15 and Jrue Holiday scored 12. The Mavs got 14 points and eight rebounds from Washington, and 13 points from Jaden Hardy.
After they dropped Game 1 in the first round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Clippers and in the second round against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Mavs are certainly not about to panic after losing the opener in this series.
“We are a great team,” Washington said. “They are a great team.
“We’re all right. It’s only one game. We’ll be better for Game 2.”
X: @DwainPrice
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