GAME 1 Playoffs 2024: Dallas Mavericks (0-0) vs. Boston Celtics (0-0)

[Chicagojk]

Solid run to end the half. Need a good 5 minute cold stretch for the Celtics in the second half. Still probably not enough to get back into it. But let’s play Mavs ball. Need Lively to show. He is our wild card and was a non factor in the first half.

[Luka77]

Get it down to 10 before the 4th. KP won't continue to be this hot for the series.

[Mavs2021]

We are down 21, behind a 24 to 4 bench scoring edge for Boston. Also Boston has scored 64, 58, 58, 57 against Indiana in the first half. Real problem is we can´t score. This is the level where having an offense that consists of "Luka and Kyrie do your thing" is not good enough.

[Luka77]

Waiting on weakzingus to make a come back.

[DallasMaverick]

Oh, I’m not giving up on the series or anything, it’s just that Boston is undeniably getting what they want in this game, so far, and it doesn’t seem like Dallas has any idea what to do about it.

Disappointing, but it’s only one game.

Still, it would’ve been nice for game one to still be in doubt at halftime.

Down 21. Not statistically impossible, but not likely. ESPN has Boston at 97% likelihood of winning.

Maybe they’ll make it close. Reminds me of the Game 1 at OKC.

[MarkAguirreWrathofGod]

I think Killer was right about this series and we have to go 5 out to have a chance. Our bigs can't stay on the floor like this.

We are going to need Lively. Can’t go small all game. Hopefully he got some jitters out of the way. He dropped a Luka pass on the doorstep that should been a dunk.

[The Jom]

Luka just decided not to show up

Dude, 17 and 4 on 50% shooting.

[BigDirk41]

Waiting on weakzingus to make a come back.

Yeah I'm not going to mock KP while he is literally the difference in this game. He's killing us.

[MarkAguirreWrathofGod]

Luka didn’t make Hauser pay when they got switches with Hardy coming up in the pnr. Can’t waste those opportunities.

[KillerLeft]

I think Killer was right about this series and we have to go 5 out to have a chance. Our bigs can't stay on the floor like this.

Well, careful… It’s still early. But yeah, the game looking like this is what I was afraid of. Still, maybe they will figure things out, because I can’t imagine that the Mavericks game plan wasn’t better than what we just saw, so you have to assume at least some of it is some people being asked to do things out of their comfort zone that they’re not, doing well just  yet.

[fifteenth]

We've been down big on the first game of other series in this run. They're young. Each level is new. But they've proved that they learn quickly.

Let's go Mavs

[Luka77]

We are down 21, behind a 24 to 4 bench scoring edge for Boston. Also Boston has scored 64, 58, 58, 57 against Indiana in the first half. Real problem is we can´t score. This is the level where having an offense that consists of "Luka and Kyrie do your thing" is not good enough.

Mavs could really use a consistent third option this series.

[BigDirk41]

We are going to need Lively. Can’t go small all game. Hopefully he got some jitters out of the way. He dropped a Luka pass on the doorstep that should been a dunk.

I don't know man. He played KP terribly and was guarding him super tight for some reason. Our bigs can't stay on the floor if we can't limit the 3s. We aren't even getting the rebounds with our bigs.

[The Jom]

We are down 21, behind a 24 to 4 bench scoring edge for Boston. Also Boston has scored 64, 58, 58, 57 against Indiana in the first half. Real problem is we can´t score. This is the level where having an offense that consists of "Luka and Kyrie do your thing" is not good enough.

Wait, though. Luka 7 of 14 from the field. So maybe it is good enough if some of those open 3s start to fall.

[Luka77]

Yeah I'm not going to mock KP while he is literally the difference in this game. He's killing us.

He will return to the mean.

[Jym]

Yeah I'm not going to mock KP while he is literally the difference in this game. He's killing us.

it'd be nice if Rick was the Celtics coach and he had a non-shooting big at center next to him

[dirkfansince1998]

Biggest issue for the Mavs offense is that the Celtics took away the 1-5 pick and roll. Switch takes away the lob and Gafford/Lively have no post game to exploit the mismatch. If they try to target KP/Hafford the Celtics ignore DJJ and Washington and just stay with Luka.

[BolsDamols]

Props to KP, he has shown up. I really hate that smirk on his face though.

[RasheedsBigWhiteSpot]

I'm calling it: the Mavs will lose, but it will get close in the last 5 minutes.

[KillerLeft]

Dude, 17 and 4 on 50% shooting.

Yeah, I thought Luka played pretty decently. Didn’t like those two steals he gave to Jaylen Brown, but we have to understand that Boston has effectively taken the entire foundation of the Dallas offense away from him.

It’s gonna take him a minute to adjust.

The problem is that there aren’t any mismatches for him to attack, at least none that Boston will allow,  so his iso game is gonna be tough sledding. And on the other end, because the Boston spacing is so superior, they can basically just put Luka on an island against a good ball handler anytime they want. Either that, or Dallas has to keep conceding these wide open threes.

It’s not over yet, there is lots of series left, but this is kind of what I was afraid of in my last post. I don’t know why anyone who could play 5 out would to play any other way. It just makes everybody impossible to guard. It got Jaylen Brunson a huge contract from the Knicks… It’s got Derrick White looking like Ja Morant.