BOSTON – Obviously, the Dallas Mavericks went into Game 1 of the NBA Finals heavily concerned about the Boston Celtics’ All-Star duo of Jayson Tatum
and Jaylen Brown.
But of all people, it was former Mavs center Kristaps Porzingis who swung the momentum and the temperature of Game 1 in favor of the Celtics. As soon as Porzingis entered the game with 7:17 remaining in the first quarter, everything changed for the worse for the Mavs.
It was as if Porzingis had the key to success for the Celtics getting the best of the Mavs in the series opener. The wiry 7-3 veteran scored 11 points in rapid fashion as Boston took a 37-20 lead after the first quarter.
In addition to his scoring abilities and savvy work blocking or altering shots, Porzingis seemed to be here, there and everywhere all at the same time. And his impact came as he was playing his first game since he strained his right calf on April 29 in Game 4 of the first-round playoff series against Miami.
“I think Kristaps has been great for us all season long,” Brown said. “I think he’s a big reason why we’ve been the best team in basketball record-wise, at least.
“And having him back and him playing to that level he was during the season is so important for us, because you got another defender, another shooter out there that you have to respect. So that just opens it up for everybody else.”
Porzingis finished with 20 points in 21 workmanlike minutes. He was 8-of-13 from the field, including 2-of-4 from three-point territory. In addition, he collected six rebounds and blocked three shots.
Lost in everything was the fact that Game 1 was the first time Porzingis has ever played in the NBA Finals. And he looked poised and ready to seize the moment.
“Even when that first quarter when I checked in and started things going my way and stuff, I didn’t even think about it,” he said. “I was so in the moment and enjoying the moment and the crowd and everything.
“It’s kind of like a blur to me right now. I have to re-watch the game — what happened and stuff — but I was completely just in the game. That’s the best feeling. I had the most fun and, yeah, and I hope to have more of those moments going forward.”
The Mavs definitely hope Porzingis doesn’t have any more moments like he had in Game 1. That would be devastating to the Mavs trying to capture the franchise’s second NBA title.
“We let him get comfortable and let him get warmed up in the mid-range, and it kind of led to them obviously getting a big lead,” Mavs forward P.J. Washington said. “(We) just have to be better and be more locked into their tendencies and just be more focused on that end.”
And be more focused on limiting what Porzingis can do on the court.
“We’re a good team when guys are down, but we’re really, really special when we have everybody,” Tatum said. “I said it earlier, how seamless (Porzingis’) transition was after being away for six, seven weeks, and coming into the game and having a first half like that. That was a big spark for us to start the game.
“I think you guys got a pretty clear picture of that throughout the season — when we were healthy and how we played and how effective we were on both ends. KP had a big hand in that and the success that we had this season. But it is a relief to have him back, because we know we’re a much better team when he’s back.”
Here are the three takeaways from the Celtics’ 18-point win over the Mavs.
ASSIST TOTAL HAS TO IMPROVE: To a man, the Mavs know they need to move the ball more and increase their assist total in Game 2 if they have designs on winning this series. In the series opener, the Mavs were held to just nine assists as a team. That’s less than the 9.8 assists Luka Dončić averaged by himself while finishing second in the league in assists this season. Dončić finished with just one assist on Thursday. That’s certainly uncharacteristic for him. It was the lowest assist game of the season for Dončić and also the fewest assists he’s ever had in a playoff game.
THREE-POINT SHOOTING SPREE: What the Celtics did from the three-point line on Thursday was very impressive. The Celtics were 16-of-42 from three-point land for 38.1 percent, while the Mavs were just 7-of-27 from downtown for 25.9 percent. That means the Celtics outscored the Mavs from beyond the three-point arc, 48-21, which was more than the difference in the game. Dissecting it even deeper, when they started to separate themselves from Dallas, the Celtics were 7-of-15 from behind the three-point arc in the first quarter.
HELP WANTED: In order to win this series, the Mavs will need to get some scoring contributions from players other than just Dončić. While the Celtics’ entire starting lineup each scored 10 or more points, the only Mavs starter not named Dončić who scored in double-digits were P.J. Washington (14 points) and Kyrie Irving (12 points). And Irving was coming off a 36-point explosion in the close-out Game 5 win last week against Minnesota in the Western Conference Finals. Meanwhile, with his 30 points and 10 rebounds, Dončić became the first player since Tim Duncan in 1999 to have a double-double consisting of at least 30 points in his first NBA Finals game. And the 13 points Jaden Hardy scored off the bench for the Mavs were countered by the 20 points Kristaps Porzingis tallied off the bench for the Celtics.
X: @DwainPrice
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