How Kristaps Porzingis Dominated Game 1 of the Finals
With Kristaps Porzingis finally returning from injury, Boston’s game one blowout showcased their dominance; and Dallas’ helplessness
One of the few things I hoped for entering this series was some form of competitiveness. It’s safe to say that the Celtics won’t allow that to happen. Boston, led by a healthy Kristaps Porzingis, crushed Dallas 107-89 in a game that scarcely felt close. And it wasn’t just that the Celtics were blowing the Mavericks out of the water; it was how they did it.
From their ingenious defensive strategies to their relentless attacks on Luka Doncic, Boston’s might was on full display. It was readily apparent that a Dallas upset seems all but impossible.
Kristaps Porzingis Completely Changes the Equation
I didn’t know how much of an impact Kristaps Porzingis would make in game one. He hadn’t played in 38 days, after all. While I knew he could stretch the floor and offer more rim protection than Al Horford and Luke Kornet (low bar, I know), I was skeptical that the 7’3″ could alter this series. Joe Mazzulla had him coming off the bench! My expectations weren’t high at all.
Oh, how I was wrong.
Outside of Luka Doncic, nobody was as impactful as Porzingis in game one. On offense, he bombed away from deep, making Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford uncomfortable on the perimeter. When the Mavs foolishly switched smaller defenders onto him, he continually punished them in the post. Everything he put up seemed to go in. Defensively, he blocked three shots and affected countless others.
When Porzingis first entered the game, the Celtics were up one. By the end of the first quarter, they were up 17 and never looked back. KP finished the night with 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks in just 21 minutes of action. Boston outscored Dallas by 13 points in his limited action.
This sequence last in the first quarter sums up Porzingis’ night pretty well;
In my series preview, I guessed with only half confidence that Porzingis could affect the games in these many facets. Instead, he checked every box, proving to be a total mismatch. This postseason, the Mavericks’ defense has packed the paint. Lively and Gafford have hardly had to roam on the perimeter.
That strategy won’t work against Porzingis. But, the Mavericks kind of have to switch those pick-and-rolls or risk going into a scramble once they send extra help at the ball. That scrambling leads to even more opportunities for the Celtics to launch threes, which they’re already very proficient in. Boston improved to 35-4 after game one when they take 50%+ of their shots from the 3-PT line.
Defensively, Porzingis’ mobility was extremely impressive. For someone who had been dealing with a calf injury for a month, his efforts against Irving and Doncic were equally valiant and effective. And, some food for thought: this will be the worst shape that Porzingis is in. You could see him visibly laboring up and down the floor, trying to catch his breath. As Porzingis gets his legs back, his impact on this series will only increase.
Barring divine intervention, Porzingis seems destined for a big series. The Mavericks don’t have the personnel to guard him, and sending extra help to stop Porzingis will lead to Tatum and Brown (remember those two guys?) getting easier looks. Boston’s pick-your-poison offense has gotten more potent at the right time.
Boston’s Ingenious Defensive Manuevering
Dallas Mavericks not named Luka Doncic shot 23/58 (39.6%) from the field, including 3/15 (20%) from beyond the arc. Boston had the same number of blocks (9) as the Mavericks had assists. While Boston breezed to 37 points in the first quarter, Dallas only cracked 37 points in the final moments before halftime.
While Luka Doncic got what he wanted, for the most part, the Celtics made his life as hard as possible. Jayson Tatum was matched up with Gafford and Lively and then switched to Luka in pick-and-rolls. This allowed Al Horford and Porzingis to hide against Derrick Jones Jr, who Boston happily let attempt nine shots.
Jrue Holiday, who shut down Kyrie during the regular season, continued his excellence in game one. Irving shot just 6/19 from the field and rarely looked comfortable. Holiday and the Celtics corralled, not allowing him to get into a rhythm. I called Irving the most pivotal player in this series, and Boston treated him as such. Without Irving to offer any scoring punch, it never felt like the Mavericks were threatening, even when they cut the lead to eight in the third quarter.
With Kristaps Porzingis back to anchor the middle, the Mavericks shot just 48.9% (23/47) in the paint. While Dallas doesn’t attack the paint often, they’re usually incredibly accurate thanks to their healthy diet of lobs and putbacks. In game one, the lobs to Lively and Gafford were nowhere to be found.
Of course, the Mavericks can chalk up their offensive shortcomings to missing open threes. But then again, the Celtics had a pretty good blueprint for how they want to slow down the Mavericks. And I think there’s some more avenues they can go down.
During the regular season, the Celtics were dominant when Horford and Porzingis shared the floor. In game one, while they played for just six minutes, the Mavericks had an offensive rating of 100. While that slowed down their offense a little, going big could be a way to slow down Dallas’ attack at any time.
Another wrinkle from game one was the effectiveness of Sam Hauser. Hauser, who shot a blazing 42% from 3 during the regular season, had gone cold in the playoffs. But, Hauser made multiple defensive stops and was a +17 in his 16 minutes of action.
In all facets, Boston’s game one defense was excellent, and they’ve outlined the ideal way to slow down this heliocentric Dallas offense.
Where Does Dallas Go From Here?
As you can probably tell by now, not much went right for Dallas last night. The offense was clunky and disjointed. The defense was porous and weak. While Luka had a good game, almost nobody else did.
Dallas’ personnel worked perfectly against the Timberwolves, who didn’t have as much spacing. But against Boston, guys like Lively and Gafford don’t have the same impact. I don’t really know if Jason Kidd has enough depth to consistently throw out competitive lineups. The only guy who should see a bump in minutes is Dante Exum. And the only guy who should definitely see a decrease is Maxi Kleber.
When Dallas closed the gap in the third quarter, the Celtics had no energy and missed open shots. That is the only way I see Dallas having any advantage in this series. The Celtics are notorious for their fluctuating effort, but I don’t see that happening four times in one series.
While Joe Mazzulla’s squad has endless options and counters, it doesn’t feel like the Mavericks can do the same. Of course, I am overreacting a little bit. I’m sure the Mavericks will try some different things in game two and hopefully shoot the ball better. Luka will come out more aggressive and so will Kyrie, etc.
But, if game one was any indicator, the Celtics are the much better team and they know it. And this series might serve more as a coronation instead of a stage for both sides.
What can the Mavericks do to turn the tide? Leave a comment down below!
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