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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.
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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.)
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Thanks for joining me tonight. Please do email me your thoughts about this game, band names and the USA’s cricket victory over Pakistan.
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Important Events
Celtics 6-13 Mavericks, 7:11 left in the 1st quarter
I used the word “nice” twice in my last entry, and it’s nice where I live, but it probably doesn’t seem so nice right now in Boston after Horford airballed it from the corner.
Dallas is disputing a foul called against PJ Washington, who had the ball but also used his hands a lot. After this commercial message, this should be upheld.
Celtics 6-13 Mavericks, 8:18 left in the 1st quarter
Let the old man make the easy play! After a scramble for the rebound, Jayson Tatum picked up the ball and passed it to Al Horford, who was standing under the basket for a dunk.
Tatum linked up well with Jrue Holiday to set up another great basket for the Celtics, but Doncic put in a deceptive drive that made him look like he was wading through molasses, but he was able to get the ball away and put it in. He already had six points.
Former Celtic (and former everything else) Kyrie Irving hit a long two-point shot and the Celtics called a timeout.
Celtics 2-7 Mavericks, 10:25 left in the first quarter
Doncic started the game with a fadeaway jump shot, and the two teams traded points, a turnover for Boston and a three-pointer from PJ Washington to get the Mavs off to a good start.
Tip-off
Dallas has it.
The start of the game is finally approaching.
Luka Doncic is indeed in the starting lineup unchanged.
Other notes Box score of Game 1:
– While the pressure was on Jayson Tatum, his teammates led the way in this big win: Jaylen Brown scored 22 points, and Kristaps Porzingis, as mentioned, had 20. Tatum finished with 16 points, 5 assists and 11 rebounds (though he did commit 6 turnovers, which will no doubt have stunned anyone who values an athlete’s head).
– Dallas’ star player, Luka Doncic, finished with 30 points. Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving didn’t live up to expectations, scoring just 12 points on 6-of-19 shooting (0-of-5 on 3-pointers). Derrick Jones Jr. also had a tough night, going 2-of-9 from the field.
– Celtics center Al Horford turned 38 last week. Years. Not points. And if you think that’s years, remember that I watched his father, Tito Horford, play in college.
– Dallas’ Daniel Gafford had an effective true shooting percentage of 103.1%. The math is complicated.
Speaking of ESPN and killing time before the kickoff, one of the strangest things on American TV is the “NBA layup line” feed. At the moment, no one is filming, just a bunch of lights and random images of fans waving when they realize they’re on camera.
If you want to revisit some pre-game media extravaganzas of the past, check out the intro to the 1990s Chicago Bulls’ iconic Alan Parsons Project song “Sirius.”
The Bulls still use the same music and have upgraded their animations, but without Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Luc Longley, Ron Harper and, apparently, another player from North Carolina, something feels missing.
ESPN spoke with Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis, who missed most of the playoffs with a calf injury but returned to the game after recording 20 points, six rebounds and three blocks in just 21 minutes in the Celtics’ 107-89 win in Game 1.
The match kicks off in 41 minutes.
preamble
Welcome to Game 2 of the NBA Finals, the game in which, as sports pundits like to say, Jayson Tatum’s legend will be shattered if he doesn’t finish with 87 points on 80 percent shooting, 20 rebounds and 25 assists to lead the Celtics to a 187-84 victory.
Seriously, I haven’t seen a player under this much pressure to win a championship since Charles Barkley walked the floor of an NBA game. He did well, but back then the media didn’t have the power it does today.
Disclaimer alert: Yes, I went to school with Tatum, many years before him. The other two players who spent a combined two years at the same school, Kyrie Irving and Derek Lively II, currently play for the Mavericks. They’re playing pretty well. This is especially important tonight with Luka Doncic battling a chest contusion. My next band name will definitely be Chest Contusion. (My current band name is not so medical.)
Thanks for joining us this evening. Please email us with your thoughts on the match, the band name, and the US cricket victory over Pakistan.
Bo will be here soon, and in the meantime, here’s how our reporters predicted the finals would play out (before the series even began).
The Celtics won six games. The Mavericks have stars, but the Celtics are the better overall team.. Dallas’ defensive shifts don’t fit Boston’s style of attack as well as the teams they beat in the West. Doncic’s sprained right knee is also a big problem. Doncic can solve any defense, given enough time. But is there a solution for the most athletic, smartest, and most shifty group in the league? And if Doncic is slowed down by an injury at all, the Celtics defense will close any gaps. To take this to six or seven games, Dallas will have to take more contested shots than they normally would. Irving and Doncic can fill that role, but at least two more shooters need to step up. Oliver Connolly
The Mavericks won in seven games. Conventional wisdom has it that the Celtics will win the championship because they’ve been the best team in basketball all year. But convention also has them never facing Doncic in a competitive situation. The Mavericks are in full force, their role players are up to the challenge, and having to deal with Irving on top of Doncic is daunting to say the least. Moonlight
The Celtics won four games. Boston has been the best team in the league all season. The Mavericks defense was revamped after the deadline, but they’ve never faced an offensive monster like the Celtics. Tatum and Brown are an elite backcourt duo on par with Doncic and Irving. But Boston’s better or stronger supporting cast, with more time together, the ability to attack from anywhere, and no defensive weaknesses, could make the difference when Luka and company run out of magic dust. Brian Graham
Mavericks in 7 gamesThe Celtics are the better, more experienced team. But their bad habit of playing with food leaves the door open long enough for Doncic to shine and for Irving to get some sweet revenge. Their Mavs support is also a little less experienced than the Celtics, but they continue to thrive behind Washington and Gafford. It’s a fun series that ends with Boston in tears, some memes, and maybe a roster reset with Tatum at the center. Andrew Lawrence
