Celtics Swarm Mavs and Take Game 2 of the NBA Finals
Boston was too pesty in this game.
It could’ve been any team’s game.
The score was close and the lead swapped back and forth in the first half like a ping pong ball in an intense table tennis match.
But once the half-time break buzzer buzzed, the tides favoured the home team, the Boston Celtics, who won the game 105-98.
The Dallas Mavericks tried their best to not let the Celtics gain momentum in the second half but Boston’s defence and ball movement was too much for them.
Jrue Holiday -who had a historic game- Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford and Derrick White clamped down on Luka Doncic -who had a triple-double- Kyrie Irving and company and didn’t give them any easy shots.
The Celtics chased down fastbreak rim runners, interrupted passing lanes and just played fantastic overall man and help defence.
Then on the offensive end, they made the Mavs pay for their defensive mistakes by making them close out on shooters.
However, despite the tough pesty defence, the Mavs were in the game the entire time. The Celtics never had a lead bigger than 13.
But in the last minute, when the Mavs could’ve won or at least taken the game to overtime, the Celtics’ Brown and White used the power of teamwork like they were in an anime and blocked the crap out of P.J. Washington’s potential game-saving layup, destroying any chances of them coming back.
Additionally, the Mavs weren’t able to make 3-pointers (well, neither team could) and Luka struggled mightily at the free-throw line (4-8). He also committed so many turnovers (8).
In a post-game interview, Doncic, who took the blame for the loss, said he needs to improve in those areas in the next game if the Mavs want a chance to come back.
Via NBA TV:
"I think my turnovers and my missed free throws cost us the game. I’ve got to do way better in those two categories.”
The Celtics’ Holiday recorded 26 points on 78.6 percent shooting, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 1 steal, and 0 turnovers.
The Mavs’ Doncic recorded 32 points on 57 percent shooting, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
Final Thoughts
The Mavs are not in an ideal situation.
But if they clean up some things and make adjustments, I think they can even out the series in the next two games, which will be on their home court in Dallas.