While many predicted it, they were still surprised to see the Boston Celtics dominate the Dallas Mavericks the way they did in Game 1.
The opening salvo to the 2024 NBA Finals was a low-scoring affair by today’s standards, but it showcased great basketball from both teams. The Celtics were unstoppable on the offensive side of the ball as Kristaps Porzingis proved to be the difference maker for Joe Mazzulla and his team.
However, one NBA legend thinks there’s more to the game than what the final score tells us. He believes that the C’s were able to do one thing especially well to throw the Mavericks off their game and leave Luka Doncic alone to fend for himself.
Magic Johnson highlights the Boston Celtics’ defense as the key to their Game 1 success
Magic Johnson is a fan of the game and always provides meaningful insights that accentuate other aspects of the game that fans would otherwise miss out on.
According to ClutchPoints’ Jay Postrado, the Lakers legend emphasized the defensive effort of the Celtics to stop the Mavericks roster from seriously threatening the C’s.
“The Celtics defense smothered the Mavs and took them completely out of their game. Like I said earlier this week – the Celtics just have more depth and firepower than the Mavs and it was on full display tonight!,” the Los Angeles Lakers legend declared.
The box score supports Magic’s claims. As a team, the Mavericks shot 41.7% on the floor. To make matters worse, they were an abysmal 7-of-27 from the three-point line, which effectively killed off any chances of them mounting a comeback.
Luka Doncic finished his first Finals appearance with a 30-point effort, but he had to shoot 26 times to get that number. Kyrie Irving seemingly let the pressure of the TD Garden crowd get to him as he ended the night with a pedestrian 12 points on 6-for-19 shooting.
The Boston Celtics can count on the Mavs to come to Game 2 determined to score, and the Luka-Kyrie duo will be more annoying than ever. If the Celtics want to finish the Finals early, they need to maintain this level of defense throughout the Finals.
