February trip to Boston was aborted for Gafford, much to the Mavs’ delight

BOSTON – Daniel Gafford has a full-circle moment that directly involves the Boston Celtics.

When Gafford woke up on the morning of Feb. 8, he was still a member of the Washington Wizards. And the Wizards were slated to play the Celtics in Boston on Feb. 9.

That meant the Wizards were planning on leaving Washington on Feb. 8 to fly to Boston. However, Gafford received an important phone call from Wizards general manager Will Dawkins informing him that he may have to re-arrange his traveling plans because a trade was in the works.

“What’s crazy, when I got traded, (the Wizards) were actually headed here to play Boston,” Gafford said on Wednesday. “I got to the practice facility (and) Will Dawkins called me and said there’s a possibility you’ll be going to Dallas.

“I said, ‘OK, let me know.’ I sat in the parking lot for 30 minutes. He called me and said, ‘You’ve been traded to Dallas.’ “

While Gafford’s life suddenly got turned upside down, the trade actually was the best career move involving Gafford to date.

“I would say when it comes to the emotions of getting traded, you could be mad (or) you could be happy,” Gafford said. “I would say I didn’t really have a crazy reaction to it because I’ve been in the situation before.

“I just took this as a point — one door closed, another door opened for me. So, this is another opportunity for me to kind of like progress throughout my career.”

As Gafford has progressed throughout his career, he’s become a fan favorite in Dallas and a key cog to the Mavs qualifying for the NBA Finals for the first time since they won it all in 2011. Gafford’s strength, dead-eye shooting around the basket and defensive prowess has enabled the Mavs to post a 12-5 record in the playoffs and win three series — all despite being a definitive underdog in every series.

When the trade from the Wizards was finally finalized, Gafford wanted to make sure he was in the proper frame of mind to move from one part of the country to another part at a moment’s notice.

“I just wanted to make sure I most definitely took the right approach to it,” he said. “I didn’t really want to think too much on it.

“Like I said, it’s another opportunity for me. I just took this as this is another step down my path of success.”

In Gafford’s first game with the Mavs, his path led him to scoring 19 points, grabbing nine rebounds while converting 7-of-11 shots in just 17 minutes during a 146-111 blowout victory over the Oklahoma City on Feb. 10 in Dallas. It was then that Gafford knew the trade from the Wizards to the Mavs would be a perfect fit.

“Oh, man, the first game when we were there, Luka (Dončić) threw the first lob (dunk) to me,” Gafford said. “The crowd went crazy.

“The Dallas crowd reminds me a lot of Bud Walton Arena (at the University of Arkansas) when I was in college. Just being in that atmosphere like that — love and energy throughout the arena — it’s just something that I felt like I missed just throughout my career.”

And now, that full-circle moment has taken Gafford back to Boston, where the Mavs will battle the Celtics in this year’s NBA Finals. For Gafford, that phone call from Dawkins was one of the best phone calls he’s ever received.

Here are some other nuggets surrounding Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Mavs and Celtics.

*This will be the first time the Mavs have played someone in the NBA Finals besides the Miami Heat. Miami beat the Mavs in six games to win the 2006 NBA title. The Mavs returned the favor and beat the Heat in six games in 2011.

*The Celtics posted the best record in the NBA this season at 64-18, and also are a very strong 12-2 in the playoffs. But critics point out that the Celtics have had a virtual cake walk. In the first round of the postseason, the Celtics defeated Miami in five games, and the Heat played that entire series without their best player – All-Star guard Jimmy Butler. In the second round, the Celtics beat Cleveland in five games and the Cavaliers were without All-Star center Jarrett Allen, and Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell missed the final two games. And in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics collected a 4-0 sweep of the Indiana Pacers, who were without All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton for the last two-and-a-half games.

*Mavs guards Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving have been seriously shaking up the world in this year’s playoffs. In the Western Conference Finals Game 5 series-clinching win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dončić and Irving each scored 36 points. The only other duo to score at least 35 points in a game that clinched a trip to the NBA Finals was Los Angeles Laker stars Elgin Baylor and Jerry West in 1962. Also, Dončić is the first player in NBA postseason history to lead his team in scoring (489 points), rebounding (164) and assists (150) when that team is entering the NBA Finals. And the only players with at least 450 points, 150 rebounds and 150 assists in a single playoff are Larry Bird (1987), LeBron James (six times), Nikola Jokic (2023) and Dončić.

*During a polished NBA career that lasted from 1989-2003, guard Tim Hardaway Sr. never played in the NBA Finals. But his son, Mavs 11-year veteran guard Tim Hardaway Jr., will now be playing in his first NBA Finals. However, Hardaway Jr. never misses an opportunity to credit his dad – he’s in Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame – for jump-starting his NBA career. “I wouldn’t get to this point without my dad,” Hardaway said. “He’s always by my side. He’s always a phone call away, always supporting me, always comes to the games. Like I said, he’s a phone call away when I’m struggling. Even if I’m having great games, (he said): ‘Keep my head down, don’t stop, keep that energy, keep that flow going.’ He’s always reiterating to me to always have fun. He’s been telling me that since high school. That’s what I’ve been trying to do my whole entire career.”

*The Celtics haven’t played a game since they swept the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals on May 27. By the time Game 1 of the series against the Mavs will tip off, the Celtics will have had nine days without playing a game. So, what did Celtics center Al Horford do with his extended time with no games? “Just continuing to stay consistent in the things that I did — coming in, working out individually, doing our team stuff when we needed to,” he said. “It was just for a longer, extended period of time. I think the first day I took a day off right after Indiana — Game 4. After that, I just continued with my routine, continued to stay ready, taking advantage of the time. For me, this time off, I feel like it’s been good to get me as prepared as best I can for (Thursday).”

*Mavs forward P.J. Washington believes all the bevy of defensive schemes his team saw in this year’s playoffs against the Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves should bode well when the Mavs face the Celtics in this best-of-seven Finals series. “I think it prepares us really well,” Washington said. “I feel like we played a lot of different teams that throw different stuff at us. Boston is a great offensive team. They pretty much have a bunch of different weapons. I feel like we’ve been preparing for it throughout the whole playoffs. I’m excited to match up with them, excited to go out there and see what we can do.” Acquired in a Feb. 8 trade with the Charlotte Hornets, Washington has played a key role in the Mavs advancing to the NBA Finals for the third time in franchise history. In the Mavs’ 17 playoff games this season, Washington averaged 13.6 ppg and 6.7 rpg, and also shot 43.2 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from three-point range.

*When the Celtics lost to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals, Joe Mazzulla was an assistant coach under head coach Ime Udoka. Udoka is now the head coach of the Houston Rockets, while Mazzulla has taken over the reins of the Celtics. Mazzulla recalls, following the loss to the Warriors, how Celtic stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown reacted to losing to the Warriors. “I think that’s not the only moment that those guys are using to get better,” Mazzulla said. “The coolest thing about where Jaylen has been is his surrender to anything external, and the most important thing is his growth and development as a person and as a player. That’s all he cares about is getting better. I think that’s been really cool to see. I think it’s the same for Jayson. You can pick numerous experiences that everybody in our locker room has been through that you need to be able to use for the situation we’re in now. I think it’s all about using what you’ve been through — good, bad, indifferent — to help you in the present moment. The guys are doing it.”

*The Mavs are the fifth team seeded fifth or higher to advance to the NBA Finals since 1984. The only team that has ever won the NBA title seeded fifth or higher are the sixth-seeded Houston Rockets, who swept Shaquille O’Neal, Penny Hardaway and the Orlando Magic to capture the 1995 championship.

DALLAS MAVERICKS (0-0) at BOSTON CELTICS (0-0)

When: 7:30 p.m., Thursday

Where: TD Garden, Boston

TV: ABC

Radio: KEGL 97.1 FM The Eagle; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)

X: @DwainPrice