The Celtics secured a 105-98 victory over the Mavericks, grabbing a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals as the series moves to Dallas.
The talk about who the best player on Boston's team is can finally stop. Every player the Celtics put on the court is contributing to their march towards what could be their 18th NBA championship.
Holiday delivered with 26 points and 11 rebounds, and White's lightning-fast block secured Boston's victory over the Mavericks with a score of 105-98, giving Boston a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals.
"I’m really tired of hearing about one guy or this guy or that guy and everybody trying to make it out to be anything other than Celtic basketball," said Boston coach Joe Mazzulla. "Everybody that stepped on that court today made winning plays on both ends of the floor."
Tatum, despite struggling with his shooting, dished out 12 assists and grabbed nine rebounds alongside his 18 points. Brown scored 21 points with three steals, White contributed 18 points and three steals, and even Peyton Pritchard chipped in with a buzzer-beating half-court shot to extend Boston's lead in the third quarter.
Read: 12 High-Paying Side Hustles that Require Just a Few Hours Each Week
"That’s why they are the No. 1 team in the NBA with the No. 1 record," commented Mavericks' star Luka Doncic, who managed an impressive triple-double of 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. "They have a lot of great players. Basically, anybody can get off."
Despite Doncic's stellar performance, especially with his uncertain status before the game, scoring a triple-double in the NBA Finals for Dallas franchise history, he could only manage three points in the fourth quarter.
After a strong comeback attempt by Dallas, Derrick Jones Jr. blocked Tatum's dunk, and then White, along with Brown, denied P.J. Washington's dunk attempt. Brown sealed the deal with a layup on the other end, leaving Dallas with no chance for a comeback.
"Luka is a special player — if not the best player in the world — and he causes a problem... He’s able to create open opportunities and we just didn’t take advantage of them," said Mavericks coach Jason Kidd.
Read: Gypsy Rose Blanchard: A Story of Abuse, Deception, and Redemption
Games 3 and 4 are scheduled for Wednesday and Friday in Dallas. While Boston remains undefeated on the road this postseason, the Mavericks are aiming to break that streak to avoid a sweep and force the series back to Boston Garden.
It marked the ninth occasion that the Celtics have won the first two games of the NBA Finals. They've clinched victory in the previous eight instances and have never been pushed to a Game 7.
Just a day after Kidd tried to create tension in the Celtics locker room by naming Brown — not Tatum, an All-NBA first-teamer — as the team’s top player, Boston proved why it's insignificant.
Despite Kristaps Porzingis scoring 12 points for the top-seeded Boston, Tatum struggled, shooting 6 for 22 and making only 1 of 7 attempts from 3-point range; overall, the Celtics were 10 for 39 from beyond the arc.
Kyrie Irving, who has faced hostility from local fans since he departed from Boston in 2019, managed 16 points but extended his losing streak against the Celtics to 12 games.
In contrast to their Game 1 win of 107-89, where Boston hit 7 of 15 from 3-point range in the first quarter to build a 17-point lead, the Celtics missed their first eight 3-point attempts on Sunday, allowing Dallas to lead the entire first quarter.
Read: How to Connect ChatGPT to Google Drive for AI-Assisted File Management
Tatum struggled to score in the first half, remaining scoreless in the first quarter and tallying only five points by halftime, still missing all his attempts from beyond the arc. Boston improved to just 5 for 30 from long distance when Peyton Pritchard banked in a half-court shot at the third-quarter buzzer, extending Boston's lead to 83-74.
The crowd, previously busy booing and taunting Irving, cheered loudly at Pritchard's shot. Irving acknowledged the taunts by shaking his head.
Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images
Comments
Post a Comment