David Walsh asked Kristaps Porzingis if he was at 100% in an interview during the time prior to arrival of the NBA Finals. ‘It was a good question,’ he said, as sources close to him told of a smile on his face. For a player as high-profile as the former All-Star, who missed Boston’s last 10 games with a calf strain, his fitness was the only storyline going into arguably the most anticipated game, the Celtics against his former team the Dallas Mavericks.
The question of whether a regular correspondence exists between New York and London has now been answered by giving a firm nod. Porzingis was not only strong in game one of the NBA finals but played out of his skin to give the Celtics a historic 112-98 victory over the Mavericks. In total this 7-foot-2 Latvian played perhaps one of his most exquisite games of his relatively choppy career marred with or without injuries.
Right from the first bounce of the ball, it became apparent that Porzingis was determined to leave a mark. He scored 10 of the team’s first 15 points and combined these with three-point shots with some sensational dunks that clearly enthralled the home fans. The Mavericks could not find answers even though they tried their best in the given volleyball match. The reserve specifically Dallas head trainer Jason Kidd, said that: “We attempted almost everything.” ”We tried to throw the doubles, tried to front him, we tried to go zone, did all our best, but it didn’t help”.
Spurs mainline defender and perhaps the most potent398 pick-and-roll threat in the history of basketball, Luka Doncic, of Dallas Mavericks was anticipated to needle Porzingis incessantly, looking for any chink in his armour. But there was nothing weak once again about Porzingis, who had 34 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 blocks to his name. In addition to that he was great on defense where he contested shots around the paint area and in some occasions he always switched onto the opponent’s shooters.
Kristaps Porzingis is healthy, and the Mavericks have no answer for him whatsoever https://t.co/LjUdztJkaU
— ZackRyann99 (@zackryann99) June 7, 2024
The Boston team had a 9-1 record in the playoffs without the said player but their competition was mostly from a weaker and injured dominated Eastern Conference. Dallas was a completely different kind of test, a specific challenge designed to target a sick big man to wrench the ball from his hands and force him to defend against the pick and roll. But Porzingis made a prize out of his foe’s weakness, turning it into Boston’s strongest advantage.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla described his performance as incredible. It was obvious we needed him to come through for us, but this was entirely a different story. He played as if he had a point to prove, and he achieved this on both offense end and the defensive end.
Porzingis did not just turn into a point producer, but he influenced the game in various ways. He was not only capable of changing the game plan of the Mavericks, but his appearance on the court as well. Against the Mavs, Dallas had depended on their defensive strategy to ensure that Boston does not shoot from the three-point line, but Porzingis was having his way inside leaving the Mavs to converge on him thus leaving Boston open to shoot from the three-point line. This time, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were on the redistribution all the time, amassing a total of 45 points and hitting clinical shots whenever Dallas tried to snatch the initiative back.
For Dallas, it was one of the hardest types of wake-up calls that no one really expects to receive, and that everyone really knows can be fatal. “We knew it will be difficult, but we didn’t know that it would be like this,” said Doncic, who scored 29-plus 10, but the turnovers at the hands of the excellent Celtics’ defence affected him a lot. The main message found in the quote is – We have to be better, and first of all, it should be me.
WHAT A RETURN FOR KRISTAPS PORZINGIS 🔥
18 PTS
7-9 FGM
2 3PM
2 BLK
He’s the 9th player since 1976-77 to put up 18+ points in the first half of their NBA Finals debut 👏 pic.twitter.com/tbOjKIo2c6
— NBA (@NBA) June 7, 2024
Boston is now in the great position of trying to win the club’s 18 th NBA Championship which puts the Celtic great position advantage over the Lakers. It is for this reason, that seeing Porzingis play in this particular fashion, the Celtics should have all the confidence in the world.
However, when the regular season moves to the second game in Dallas, the Mavericks will be forced to greatly adapt to Porzingis’ dominance. If they can’t find the way to unblock it, they might be facing a case of a quick series. For now though Boston fans can bask in a performance that was simply extraordinary from a guy who looked like he loved the fact he was out there trying to prove the doubters wrong.
Kris Porzingis was amazing through the just concluded NBA Finals even though his team did not make it to the final stage. And if that Game 1 performance is any indication, this is just the start, and he is capable of even more.
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