The NBA is a star-driven league, so it is only natural that the stars drive the narratives of the 2024 Finals. Focus is overwhelmingly on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. But the game plan cannot be simplified to merely stopping these offensive wizards over the course of an entire series.
Because no such thing can probably be done. Boston's head coach is looking beyond just the Mavs' backcourt. “That's what people like to focus on,” Joe Mazzulla told the press on Saturday, via ClutchPoints.
“They don't look at the game as a connected game, and so if those guys play well then they beat you. They don't look at your offense, turnovers, transition, second-chance points, execution on the offensive end…The whole thing this series is going to be about is ‘stopping' those two guys. There is no stopping them. There is defending them at a high level, and there's playing a complete game because every part of the game is connected.”
Mazzulla is preaching nuance and strict attention to detail. The league is tasked with selling a product and simplifying the NBA Finals matchup for casual viewers who may only now be really tuning in to witness the June spectacle. As mentioned before, supreme talent sells. Building this showdown around the play of Doncic and Irving is practical and easy to digest.
There are several layers to unpack, however. The Celtics and Mavericks each have a sensational duo and highly capable supporting cast. When offensive talent is abundant, sometimes it is the other facets of the game that determine a victor. Shots need to go in, obviously, but hustle plays, stalwart defense and a fierce rebounding effort are instrumental to winning a championship.
Celtics cannot afford to be sloppy vs. Doncic, Irving and Mavs
Joe Mazzulla's favorite film is famously “The Town,” which centers around the complicated lives of Boston bank robbers. Much like a heist (fictionally speaking of course), preparation and timing are essential in the NBA Finals. The Celtics cannot slack off in key areas as they have in past postseasons, or else they will not survive Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Those superstar guards become downright horrifying when a team makes consistent blunders. Think about the most iconic killers in cinema history (might as well stick with the movie analogies). Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees are ridiculously invincible, but how effective would they be if the teenagers were not being incredibly reckless and foolish?
The Celtics cannot venture into the woods or fumble their keys in the 2024 NBA Finals, because the Mavericks' future Hall of Famers will make them pay. And if Boston does play a clean brand of fundamentally-sound basketball while flashing its first-class defense (top-five in opponents' points per game, field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage), then Doncic and Irving will have to enjoy one of the most prolific shooting runs in NBA history to will their team to the title.
They have the potential to do just that, to be clear, but excessively worrying about them is futile for the C's. Mazzulla will find it unbearably challenging to consistently shut them both down. He coached a team that won 64 games and ruled over the NBA all yearlong. The Celtics know how to be the best; now they have to trust in their process and carry it out as intended.
That begins by decisively winning the battle of the “other guys.”
Boston needs to keep the Dallas big men in check
Limiting the offensive attack of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in the fourth quarter will be critical, but Joe Mazzulla is surely aware of the damage Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II can do on both ends of the floor. They bring a ruggedness that the Mavericks were sorely missing last season. It is up to Boston to suppress it in the Finals.
Once these two centers get comfortable, trouble ensues for their opponent. They play off the Dallas guards splendidly, displaying tremendous court awareness in transition and in lob situations. Those are momentum shifters the Celtics must deny if they are going to dictate the tempo.
Kristaps Porzingis, who is trending towards suiting up, and Al Horford cannot be pushed around inside. Their experience and versatility can be a major boost for their team. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will also need to penetrate the paint and figure out how to neutralize Gafford and Lively.
Assuming Mazzulla is right and there is “no stopping” Doncic and Irving, the Celtics might be able to still prevail by stopping the Mavericks' other igniters from activating. This chess match begins Thursday in TD Garden.
