The Boston Celtics were clearly the better team when they beat the Dallas Mavericks in the first meeting of the NBA Finals series.
The Boston Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks 107–89 in the first NBA Finals game.
The home team Celtics started the game right away with a bang, as they won the first period with a clear score of 37–20. However, Dallas gradually got into the game, but it wasn’t enough in the end.
“Terrible”
On a young Dallas team Kyrie Irving, 32, is the only member of the roster with NBA Finals experience, and the Mavericks surely expected Irving to step up in the big game. However, that didn’t happen.
Dallas star player Kyrie Irving had 12 points, three rebounds and two assists in the match. Kyrie sank just six of 19 field goal attempts. He accumulated the second most playing time among Dallas players. These are poor stats for a player who should carry his team at the forefront along with a superstar Luka Dončić’s with.
Irving’s difficult night is further illustrated by the fact that the veteran player hasn’t beaten the Celtics since 2021. Irving has tasted defeat in the last 11 games against Boston.
Irving is well remembered for his years with the Celtics, when he represented Boston’s “lucky jerseys” from 2017 to 2019.
Irving’s greatness is told by the fact that he is one of the best basketball players of all time LeBron James said about the beginning of the week that his former teammate Irving is “the most talented player the NBA has ever seen.”
Despite this, the performance of Irving, who has dual citizenship of the United States and Australia, in the first final match was not as expected by the supporters who watched the match either. In Community Service X, Irving garnered a lot of criticism.
– This is one of the worst Kyrie games I’ve ever watched. Missed throws, fumbles with the ball. Horrible, one NBA fan, among other things, wrote.
Despite the loss, Dallas’ Slovenian star Luka Dončić was the point king of the match with 30 points and 10 rebounds, but the skillful player collected only one assist. That’s really not much for a player known for his great passing skills.
The entire Mavericks team collected only nine assists in the match. It was the same amount as the Celtics collected during the game in shot defenses, or blocks.
Porzingis coming back strong
The credit for Boston’s victory definitely belongs to the Latvian giant To Kristaps Porzingis, who was on display especially at the beginning of the match, eventually scoring 20 points and six rebounds in his comeback match. The 221-centimeter Porzingis had been injured for more than a month and the last match played was at the end of April.
– He has been a big reason why we have been the best team, a teammate Jaylen Brown said About Porzingis.
Porzingis represented Dallas from 2019 to 2022 before the team traded him to Washington, which continued to Boston last season. The final victory against the former team seemed sweet to the gambler.
– Adrenaline was flowing in my veins. I did everything I could to prepare for this moment.
The Mavericks have a chance for revenge early Monday morning Finnish time, when the teams meet again in Boston. Win the championship with four wins.
Boston–Dallas 2nd final 10.6 at 03:00
Dallas–Boston 3rd final 13.6 at 03:30
Dallas–Boston 4th final 15.6 at 03:30
Boston–Dallas (if necessary) 5th final 18.6 at 03:30
Dallas–Boston (if necessary) 6th final 21.6 at 03:30
Boston–Dallas (if necessary) 7th final 24.6 at 03:30