You can read the full report from tonight’s game below:
So the Celtics have taken care of business at home, but this one wasn’t easy. Luka Dončić looked like he was going to put on one of those legendary “hobbled player scores 48 points and inspires team to road victory” NBA Finals performances early on, and the Mavericks fought back after nearly being knocked out in the fourth quarter.
The Celtics, though, have so many players who can make a difference. Tatum, Holiday and Jaylen Brown are a formidable trio. Porzingis, who seemed to pick up another injury late in a storyline to watch over the next few days, is a steady player off the bench. And some random player can come through at any time – consider Payton Pritchard, whose one contribution to this game took place in about 3 seconds of taking an inbounds pass and racing up the court to hit from the NBA Finals logo, stealing back the momentum after a Dallas run.
Dončić has Kyrie Irving, one of the best players of the past 15 years, running alongside him. But it feels like he has to do this himself against one of the most formidable teams in the NBA in a long time.
See you for Game 3 on Wednesday.
What a game by Jrue Holiday. The former UCLA player had 26 points on 11-for-14 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers, along with 11 rebounds and a highlight reel of stellar defensive plays.
He tips the credit to Tatum.
“They were double-teaming him, but he was making the right plays. I don’t know if he had a triple-double … (looks up) … almost. Nine rebounds.”
Boston wins Game 2, 105-98
Dončić misses an out-of-control 3-pointer after the timeout, and Holiday gets his 10th rebound to go with his 26 points.
The Mavericks can’t catch the Celtics as they play keepaway, and they eventually pull back, essentially conceding the game.
Boston takes a 2-0 lead in the series. Dallas can’t afford to drop one at home.
Celtics 105-98 Mavericks, 29.1 left, 4th quarter
Jones blocks a Tatum drive. Then White gets a huge block on Washington at the other end to keep it a two-possession game.
Then it’s Brown with the late heroics on a clutch runner in the lane.
Timeout Dallas.
Celtics 103-98 Mavericks, 1:15 left, 4th quarter
Dončić gets his 11th assist with a hard pass to Jones, then takes his ninth rebound.
Misses and turnovers follow, and Dončić completes the triple-double with his 10th rebound.
Washington hits two free throws. The lead is down to 8 with 1:49 left.
Celtics run down the clock but then miss a long one.
Dončić scores. And he’s fouled. Might we see a shocker? That’s a 9-0 run.
Celtics 103-89 Mavericks, 3:32 left, 4th quarter
Wow, timeouts are long. Is it Monday yet?
Both teams misfire coming out of the timeout, but then it’s the man of the hour – Jrue Holiday, hitting from long range in transition to get the Celtics to 100. Then he snags a rebound on a Tatum miss and dishes to White for another 3.
Timeout Dallas.
I think I’ll take a quick trip to Europe during the break …
Celtics 97-89 Mavericks, 4:40 left, 4th quarter
Another Dončić miss – he hasn’t found his range since his first-quarter explosion – and Tatum gets his eighth rebound. Two more for a triple-double.
Brown with the tough shot in the lane. The lead is 12.
But Dallas comes back with Irving hitting a layup while Porzingis limps. Brown misses, and Irving finds Gafford for the alley-oop dunk.
Timeout Boston.
Celtics 95-83 Mavericks, 6:21 left, 4th quarter
Derrick White hits a long 3 with 1 second left on the shot clock. How big is that? Or the Pritchard shot at the end of the quarter?
TV commentator JJ Redick (yes, another Duke person) responds to the marveling at the Celtics’ long, tough 3-pointers: “Well, they’ve missed about 15 open ones.” True.
Tatum hits two free throws despite the home crowd still voicing its displeasure with the existence of Kyrie Irving.
Dončić misses. This is getting away.
Celtics 90-83 Mavericks, 8:06 left, 4th quarter
Make it 12 assists for Tatum, though White had a lot of work to do.
Gafford answers with a dunk. Tatum misses, and Irving scores inside.
Timeout Boston. It’s not quite over yet.
Celtics 88-78 Mavericks, 10:00 left, 4th quarter
Dončić gets his 10th assist, feeding Washington.
Tatum travels, Dončić misses, Tatum misses, Dončić turns it over, and Tatum hands off to Brown for the slam. That’s 11 assists for Tatum, compensating for a wayward outside shot tonight.
Of course, just after I post that, Tatum hits a 3.
Celtics 83-74 Mavericks, end 3rd quarter
The Celtics’ regained shooting touch does not extend to Sam Hauser. He’s 0-for-4, and then he commits a shooting foul at the other end. Washington hits both free throws.
Tatum misses a 3 quite badly, but Brown gets the rebound. Hauser misses again. Eek. At least that was closer.
Last five seconds of the quarter, and it’s a rare mistake from Holiday, fouling Irving. He hits both, and the Mavs are back in it …
Or are they?
Payton Pritchard takes the inbounds pass, dribbles quickly upcourt, and banks in a 3-pointer from the NBA Finals logo.
That’ll hurt.
Celtics 80-67 Mavericks, 1:51 left, 3rd quarter
Dončić returns from the timeout with a vital 3-pointer.
Then he tries to guard Tatum. Nope. Tatum drives for 2.
In case you needed reminding – the Dallas superstar is NOT at full strength for this game and was questionable at one point. He does hit one of two free throws to pull within 10.
But now Boston’s feeling it. Brown hits a long 3.
Celtics 75-63 Mavericks, 2:57 left, 3rd quarter
Good defensive sequence from Boston forces a rushed 3-pointer. But Boston still can’t hit from outside. with Porzingis missing this time.
The Celtics’ defense comes through again, though, with a steal and a breakaway dunk for Holiday. That’s 21 points for the husband of a soccer Hall of Famer.
Irving misses a 3. Tatum gets the rebound.
Tatum gets tied up inside, but guess who’s running through the lane? It’s Holiday again, and the Celtics lead by 12.
Timeout Dallas. Tatum has a double-double – 11 points, 10 assists.
Celtics 69-63 Mavericks, 4:56 left, 3rd quarter
Tatum drives again, and it looks great but doesn’t go.
Jones misses a wild 3, and Lively can’t keep the ball in play. Brown slashes through the defense, fakes, then puts in the short bank shot.
Timeout Dallas.
Celtics 67-63 Mavericks, 5:43 left, 3rd quarter
Dončić is approaching triple-double territory, with 6 rebounds and 7 assists to go with his 25 points.
Porzingis comes out of the timeout with a steady jumper.
Each team misses, then Dončić picks up another assist. Really? He passed to Washington, who dribbled about 15 feet before shooting.
Tatum drives hard at the other end, gets clobbered and still puts in a tough shot. He misses the free throw, ending the Celtics’ magical run at the line after 15 straight shots.
Celtics 63-61 Mavericks, 7:29 left, 3rd quarter
Holiday’s having a huge night. He hits the transition basket on a short pass from Horford.
Tatum dishes to White in the corner. It’s good. Tatum has more assists (9) than points (8), which is good and bad, depending on your “half-full” outlook.
Dončić responds. They trade misses.
Washington is called for a “transition take foul,” basically a rule that punishes defensive teams for fouling to stop a breakaway. Tatum hits the free throw.
But White misses one short, and Dončić finds Lively for a big dunk. Boston calls timeout.
Celtics 57-55 Mavericks, 10:25 left, 3rd quarter
Tatum opens the half with a good look from 3-point range, but it just doesn’t fall.
Gafford scores inside, Boston turns it over, and Dončić feeds Washington to put Dallas on top again.
Then an important hustle play for Boston. Tatum drives and dishes out to White, who misses badly, but Holiday snags the rebound and quickly hands off to Tatum, who scores and draws Irving’s third foul.
Some halftime stats …
Dallas has only four points from its bench, all from Josh Green. Boston has 12, 10 from Porzingis.
Jrue Holiday has 17 points. Not coincidentally, Jayson Tatum has eight assists.
Celtics 54-51 Mavericks, halftime
The Celtics have finally missed a free throw. Or not! A lane violation is called, Brown gets another shot, and they’re 13-for-13.
Good ball movement from Boston, and Tatum finds Holiday for a corner 3.
Dončić ends the half with a block on Tatum. He’s winning the scoring contest between the two megastars. Boston’s winning the game.
Celtics 49-49 Mavericks, 1:15 left, 2nd quarter
Dončić hits a 3. That’s 23 points now. Imagine if he was hitting his free throws.
Tatum drives, scores, and is fouled. He makes the free throw.
Irving ties it with a favorable roll after Lively keeps the ball alive.
The fact that three of the four people mentioned in this entry are from my college is coincidental.
Celtics 46-44 Mavericks, 2:28 left, 2nd quarter
Tatum finds Holiday for his sixth assist.
Jones finishes an alley-oop from Dončić.
Tatum finds Holiday for his seventh assist.
Celtics 42-42 Mavericks, 3:56 left, 2nd quarter
Timeout Dallas after a pair of Boston misses.
If you had heard before the game that Luka Dončić would have 20 points to Jayson Tatum’s 2, and that Boston would be 2-of-14 from 3-point range, would you think the Celtics would be tied right now?
Celtics 42-42 Mavericks, 4:20 left, 2nd quarter
The one place Dončić can’t score tonight is at the free throw line. He misses a technical shot after a defensive 3-seconds call.
Brown and Green trade colorful layups, the latter ending a 9-0 Celtics run.
Great layup by Holiday, but Jones scores at the other end. Tatum tries to corral a loose ball but ends up somehow committing a shooting foul.
Back to Holiday, and we’re tied.
Celtics 36-35 Mavericks, 7:00 left, 2nd quarter
Porzingis runs hits total to 10. But Tatum misfires a couple of times on a 3 and a twisting layup.
Then we have … an offensive foul! They DO exist in the NBA! Of course, they called it on a rookie – Lively, for doing some NFL-style blocking.
Boston finds White in the corner, and … the Celtics lead? How?
The next minute is not graceful. Boston calls timeout.
Celtics 31-35 Mavericks, 9:19 left, 2nd quarter
Dončić hits another fadeaway, getting the nice roll.
Tatum unhinges the defense and passes to Brown for the dunk.
Then AGAIN, Dončić hits a long-range shot while clearly favoring one foot.
And AGAIN, Boston misses a 3.
And AGAIN, Dončić hits a fadeaway. He has 20 points. Twenty.
Then Dončić finally misses one, and Tatum finally scores.
Weird stats from the first quarter:
Boston is 1-for-9 from 3-point range but has hit all 10 free throws.
Dallas is 2-for-5 from 3-point range and 4-for-9 from the line.
Jayson Tatum is scoreless.
Celtics 25-28 Mavericks, end 1st quarter
Daniel Gafford misses two Dallas free throws after what seemed like a dubious call against Brown but looks correct on replay.
Porzingis, of course, draws the Celtics level.
But Irving drives and hits a tough runner, White misses yet another 3-pointer for Boston, and Irving hits another close-range shot.
Finally, the Celtics’ 3-point drought ends – thanks to Al Horford.
That’s with 5 seconds left. So the Celtics are only down one after the first quarter? Nope. They foul Josh Green on a 3-point attempt. Green misses the first but makes the next two.
Celtics 20-22 Mavericks, 1:30 left, 1st quarter
Dončić is bleeding and therefore has to go away for a bit.
Kyrie Irving tries to shove Jaylen Brown into Rhode Island – again, in the NBA, that’s perfectly legal – but Brown sticks to him and forces a turnover.
Porzingis hits some free throws. Good start from the Game 1 sensation.
Celtics 16-22 Mavericks, 2:24 left, 1st quarter
Dončić tries to get space against Jrue Holiday. He bangs into the Boston defender, then draws a foul. Again, I’ll lament the fact that the NBA rewards offensive players for engaging in sumo.
Celtics 16-20 Mavericks, 2:51 left, 1st quarter
Unbelievable from Dončić, who has been banged up every which way possible but hits a long 3-pointer while bouncing on one foot and favoring the other.
Celtics miss the other way, and Washington makes a layup.
Boston has missed all seven 3-point attempts. Tatum, who has been driving and dishing to misfiring teammates, gets a break, replaced by Horford.
Updated
Celtics 14-15 Mavericks, 3:39 left, 1st quarter
Dončić draws a foul on Tatum, who has an assist but has been held scoreless. The Dallas star then misses both free throws, with the second one looking especially ugly.
Boston’s Sam Hauser misses a 3 from Caitlin Clark range. Dončić follows with a Caitlin Clark turnover. (That’s why she’s not on the Olympic team – we can debate that at halftime if you like.)
After Brown travels, Dončić hits a nice fadeaway. Porzingis answers.
Celtics 12-13 Mavericks, 5:33 left, 1st quarter
As expected (by me, at least, not by the TV crew), the replay upholds the call of a foul on P.J. Washington, and Dallas loses a timeout.
Here comes Porzingis! He replaces Horford.
Derrick White hits both free throws.
I have just noticed that the Celtics are wearing strips of black with the name “WALTON” in honor of the recently deceased Bill Walton, one of the best and most colorful players the game has ever seen.
Celtics go on the break, and Kaylen Brown easily sidesteps Dončić for the emphatic slam.
Irving fouls Tatum. Duke fans aren’t sure how to feel about that. Looks like a shooting foul, but instead, it’s just possession to the Celtics. Porzingis draws a foul, and NOW they’ll go to the line. He makes both. It’s a one-point game.
And Porzingis follows up with a block at the other end.
Medi Pulaha asks: “Can I watch the game by my phone?”
I don’t know – can you?
(Seriously – depends on what you subscribe to. The ESPN app is your best bet if you’re in the USA. Or your streaming provider if it gets ABC.)
Celtics 6-13 Mavericks, 7:11 left, 1st quarter
I used the word “nice” twice in the last entry. It’s pretty here where I live. But it probably doesn’t seem that nice in Boston right now, where Horford has launched an airball from the corner.
Dallas is challenging a foul called against P.J. Washington. He got ball but also got a lot of the hand. This should be upheld after these commercial messages.
Celtics 6-13 Mavericks, 8:18 left, 1st quarter
Give the old guy an easy one! After a scramble for a rebound, Jayson Tatum comes up with it and flips it forward to Al Horford, who’s standing along under the basket for the dunk.
Tatum combines nicely with Jrue Holiday for another nice Celtics basket. But Dončić does one of his deceptive drives in which he looks like he’s walking through molasses but does enough to get the ball away and in. He already has 6 points.
Former Celtic (and former everything else) Kyrie Irving hits a long 2-pointer, and the Celtics call timeout.
Celtics 2-7 Mavericks, 10:25 left, 1st quarter
Dončić hits a fadeaway jumper to get us started. The teams trade baskets, Boston turns it over, P.J. Washington hits a 3, and it’s a nice start for the Mavs.
Tipoff
Dallas has it.
Almost tipoff at last.
Luka Dončić is indeed in the unchanged starting lineup.
Other notes from the Game 1 boxscore:
- While all the pressure is on Jayson Tatum, his teammates led the way in the rout. Jaylen Brown had 22 points; Kristaps Porzingis, as already mentioned, had 20. Tatum chipped in 16 points. And 5 assists. And 11 rebounds. (But he had 6 turnovers, so the People Who Place Values On Athletes’ Heads were surely aghast.)
- Dallas’ marquee player, Luka Dončić, had 30. Kyrie Irving, however, didn’t hold up his end of the deal, scoring just 12 points on 6-for-19 shooting (0-for-5 on 3-pointers). Derrick Jones Jr. also had a rough night from the field, shooting 2-for-9.
- Celtics center Al Horford turned 38 last week. Years. Not points. If you think that seems old, bear in mind that I saw his father, Tito Horford, play in college.
- Dallas’ Daniel Gafford had an effective true shooting percentage of 103.1%. Math is complicated.
Updated
Speaking of ESPN and filling time until the game starts, one of the most peculiar pieces of TV programming in the USA is the “NBA Layup Lines” feed. At the moment, no one is shooting. It’s just a bunch of lights and some random images of fans waving as they realize they’re on camera.
If you’d rather revisit pregame media extravaganzas of the past, check out the iconic Chicago Bulls 1990s intro to the Alan Parsons Project song Sirius:
The Bulls still use the same music, and they’ve upgraded the animations, but it loses something without Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Luc Longley, Ron Harper and some other guy … from North Carolina, apparently.
ESPN is chatting with Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics big man who had missed most of the playoffs with a calf injury but came back with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks in just 21 minutes in the Celtics’ 107-89 Game 1 win.
Tipoff is in 41 minutes.
Preamble
Welcome to Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Or, as they like to call it in the sports punditocracy, another game in which Jayson Tatum must score 87 points on 80% shooting while getting 20 rebounds and 25 assists to lead the Celtics to a 187-84 win, or else his legacy is shot to pieces.
Seriously – we haven’t seen anyone put under this much pressure to win a championship since Charles Barkley roamed the NBA’s courts. Seems that he turned out OK, but we didn’t yet have the media machine that we have today.
Disclaimer alert: Yes, I went to Tatum’s school. Many, many years before him. Two other players who spent a combined two years at the same school – Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II – are playing for the Mavericks. And they’re playing quite well, which will be especially important tonight as Luka Dončić battles through a thoracic contusion, which will absolutely be the name of my next band. (My current band’s name is less medical.)
Thanks for joining me tonight. Please do email me your thoughts about this game, band names and the USA’s cricket victory over Pakistan.
Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s how our panel of writers saw the finals unfolding (before the series began):
Celtics in six. The Mavericks have the star power but the Celtics are the better all-around team. Dallas’ defensive shift doesn’t match up as neatly with Boston’s offensive style as it did against the teams they knocked off in the West. Dončić’s sprained right knee looms large, too. Give him long enough, and Dončić can solve any defense. But is there any solution for the most athletic, smartest, switchable group in the league? And if Dončić is slowed any amount with an injury, the Celtics’ defense will close any potential openings. To push this to six or seven games, Dallas will have to make an unusual number of contested shots. Irving and Dončić can deliver, but they will need two other shooters, at least, to step up. Oliver Connolly
Mavericks in seven. Conventional wisdom says that the Celtics, who have been the best team in basketball all year long, should win the championship. But conventional wisdom has never come face to face with Dončić in clutch time. The Mavericks are firing on all cylinders, their role players are rising to the challenge, and having to deal with Irving on top of Dončić is a handful, to say the least. Claire de Lune
Celtics in four. Boston have been the best team in the league all season long. And while the Mavericks’ defense has reinvented itself since the deadline, they haven’t been in with an offensive monster like the Celtics. Tatum and Brown are right there with Dončić and Irving as an elite backcourt tandem. But Boston’s superior if not deeper supporting cast, who have been together longer, can light it up from anywhere and have no weak link on defense, will make the difference as Luka and co run out of pixie dust. Bryan Graham
Mavericks in seven. The Celtics are the better, more experienced team. But their nasty habit of playing with their food leaves the door open long enough for Dončić to dazzle and Irving to exact sweet revenge. Their Mavericks supporting cast, also a few shades greener than the C’s, continue to step up behind Washington and Gafford. It’s a fun series that ends in Boston tears, a few memes and, perhaps slightly further down the road, a roster reset around Tatum. Andrew Lawrence
