KP is back. And the Celtics lead 1-0.
THE LINEUP 🏀
What’s in today’s release?
The return of Porzingis: KP returned from a 38-day absence to power Boston’s Game 1 win
Brown does it all: Jaylen Brown turned in a brilliant two-way performance for the hosts
The Celtics’ defense: How Boston held Dallas to a playoff low 89 points
Game Notes 1: Luca’s debut, Walton tributes, three core series and broadcast history
Full access: Our on-the-ground correspondents take you behind the scenes of Game 1
BUT FIRST… ⏰
Result of the 1st match and the rest of the schedule of the finals…
🏆 The Finals continue Sunday (8 ET, ABC). Stay updated on the NBA app for the latest news, analysis and access to the floor in Boston.
1. PORZINGIS: RETURN TO THE MEMORY
Welcome back: TD Garden roared when Kristaps Porzingis came out of the tunnel for pregame warmups. They erupted when he came into the game. And he returned the favor with a masterclass in the first half.
Porzingis hadn’t played in 38 days after suffering a calf strain on April 29.
Last night, he made up for lost time by becoming just the fourth non-starter to score 20+ points in his NBA Finals debut – starting a Celtics avalanche that fueled a 107-89 victory. | to recap
- 7:17 In the 1st quarter: Porzingis entered the game for the first time with the Celtics leading 12-11
- End of 1st quarter: The Celtics’ 37-20 lead was the largest lead (+17) at the end of a 1st quarter in Game 1 of a Finals in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98)
- In this stretch, Porzingis had 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting, one 3, three rebounds and two blocks, with a game-high rejection key to close the quarter
- He is the first player with 10+ points and two blocks off the bench in a quarter of a Finals game since 1998
- 🗣️ Porzingis: “Hearing the fans going crazy when I came out of the tunnel scared me.”
Making History: Porzingis is the first player to score 15+ points in an NBA Finals game after not playing in a game for 30+ days.
And he did it in just two quarters.
The seven-legged man entered the break with 18 points on 7-9 shooting, including two 3-pointers, and the Celtics went on a 44-14 run between the first and second quarters to take a 29-point lead with 4:11 left in the half.
- Porzigis is the 9th player from 1976-77 to fall 18+ points in the first half of their Finals debut
- 🗣️ Jayson Tatum On Porzingis: “The big guy was amazing … the way he started the first half for us.”
Integrated impact: Porzingis – who had lost 10 straight before Thursday – finished the night with 20 points, six boards and three blocksalong with an 85.0 defensive rating in the game (min. 20 minutes) to hold Dallas to a playoff-low 89 points and give Boston a 1-0 series lead.
- 🗣️ Al Horford: “His energy was unbelievable…in attack, in defence, [the] chase blocks in transition … his energy just pushed us and took us to another level.”
- 🗣️ Coach Joe Mazzulla: “It doesn’t matter how long he takes off, the guy is going to make plays because of how talented he is and the work he does. What he did for us tonight was big.”
- 🗣️ Tatum: “We’re a great team when guys are down, but we’re really, really special when we’ve got everybody … that was a big spark to start the game.”
2. JAYLEN BROWN DOES IT ALL IN GAME 1
Jaylen Brown watched Boston lose in the 2022 Finals in Golden State four or five times, trying to learn from it as he got a second chance on the Finals stage.
🗣️ Coffee: “Just being able to watch those moments and learn from them, how to manage your emotions, like what would you do differently, potentially.”
At his first opportunity to show what he would do differently, Brown put together an elite two-way performance – 22 points, six boards, three steals and three blocks – to help Boston take Game 1.
- Party of 3: Brown joined Tim Duncan (2003) and Scottie Pippen (1996 and 1997) as the only players since 1973-74 (when blocks and steals became official stats) to post 20+ pts, 3+ stl and 3 + block in Game 1 of the Finals
- 🗣️ Mazzulla: “What you saw tonight is the kind of challenge he has opened up for himself over the course of the year. Not wanting to be defined by one thing. Wanting to do plays. I wanted to become a well-rounded player and keep getting better. So his spacing, his ball movement, his defense on the ball and off the ball.”
Whether he was picking Luka Doncic’s pocket Bringing the ball up and immediately turning the layup into a dunk or protecting the basket with a three-pointer at or above the rim in a span of 94 seconds, Brown’s defensive fingerprints are all over this win.
In addition to his defense, Brown scored 22 points (7-of-12 FG) and constantly pressured the Dallas defense with drives to the basket, timely 3s and a game-high 11 free throw attempts.
- When they said he was the first player In Boston Finals history, having 20+ points, 3+ blocks and 3+ steals in one game, Brown no longer wanted to look back, but look forward.
- 🗣️ Coffee: “It doesn’t mean anything. Just get ready for the next one.”
3. BOSTON’S DEFENSE SHUTDOWNS THE MAVS
On their 17-game run to reach the NBA Finals, the Mavs scored at least 25 points 49 times in 68 quarters.
In game 1, the Mavs never scored 25 in a quarter as the Celtics held them to a playoff-low 89 points, dropping Dallas to 1-11 (regular season and playoffs combined) when under 100 points.
How did the Celtics do? Taking away the shots that got the Mavs to this stage.
- Corner 3: Dallas entered the Finals averaging 4.6 corner 3s on 11.6 attempts per game. In Game 1, the Mavs made just one corner 3 in three attempts
- Alley-Oops: The Mavs entered the Finals averaging 3.6 lob completions per game. In Game 1, the Mavs were held to zero, with the Celtics able to break up multiple attempts
The alley-oop and corner 3 are two of the most efficient shooters in the game – Dallas is shooting 39.3% from the corners this postseason (vs. 35.7% above the break) and converting 85.1% of his lobs.
- Taking away their easy looks, The Celtics held the Mavs to their lowest true shooting percentage (48.2%) of any game this postseason and their sixth-lowest of the entire season
- Dallas finished with a season-low nine assists – well below his playoff average of 22.4 per game – with Luka having one assist for the season finale and just two from Kyrie Irving after the duo averaged a combined 14 before Game 1
- 🗣️ Mazzulla: “Just great individual defense. Everyone has to face the challenge of guarding these guys. They are an amazing team and they put a lot of pressure on you with their ability to score.”
Boston Block Party: During the regular season, Boston ranked first in blocks (6.6 bpg) and rim protection (60.6% allowed). Those numbers and ratings dropped in the Playoffs as Boston entered the Finals fifth in blocks (5.4 bpg) and ninth in rim protection (64.5%).
4. GAME 1 NOTES: LUKA’S FINAL DEBUT
Luca Magic: It took Doncic just 75 seconds to scores his first bucket in his NBA Finals debut. He added 11 more buckets to finish with 30 points and 10 rebounds in Dallas’ Game 1 loss.
- Luca is the first player to record a 30-point double-double in their Finals debut since Tim Duncan (33 points, 16 rpg) in 1999
JB & KP Show: Jaylen Brown (22) and Kristaps Porzingis (20) together for 42 points as Boston improved to 13-3 this season when they each score 20+ in the same game.
- 🗣️ Brown on Porzingis’ return: “Was amazing. No one is prouder or more excited about him than I am.’
Walton Tributes: The Celtics took the court in warmup jerseys with WALTON on their chest with his signature and wore a black “Walton” stripe on their jerseys. before the game Boston played a video tribute at former Celtic.
Game Of Runs: Game 1 saw both teams make huge runs to turn the tide of the game.
- Boston 44-14: After Dallas took a 15-14 lead, Boston went on a 44-14 run to build its largest lead at 29 points with 4:11 left in the half.
- Dallas 35-14: Dallas responded with a 35-14 run – including a 22-9 burst to open the 3rd quarter – to make it an eight-point game with 4:28 left in the 3rd quarter
- Boston 14-2: The Celtics responded with a 14-2 run to close the 3rd and push their lead back to 20
- 🗣️ Coffee: “This is the game. When a team is on a run, you have to manage it, you have to stay calm and you have to keep playing basketball. It’s almost like you have a little short-term memory, like the team isn’t even running.”
3 point inequality: Boston outscored Dallas by 27 points from the 3-point line, knocking down 16 (on 38.1% shooting) to seven (on 25.9% shooting) for the Mavs.
- 3 for everyone: Seven Celtics made at least two 3s in Game 1 – the most players from a team to make multiple 3s in a Finals game
Broadcast History: Doris Burke became the first woman to call a major men’s professional league event, providing analysis alongside JJ Redick and Mike Breen on the ABC telecast.
- Doris discuss the moment pregame and received a shout-out from LeBron James for the accomplishment during the game
- @KingJames: “Big moment for our sport tonight. Love and respect to DB and all it does to uplift us all! You are 🐐! 🙏🏾🤎🫡”
5. PASS ALL-ACCESS TO GAME 1
Experience the Finals like never before.
The stars came out for Game 1 in Boston, and Finals Correspondents Jabari Smith Jr. of the Houston Rockets and Content creator Tristan Jass took us behind the scenes to capture all the festivities, including our own NBA field access team.
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