THIS Was DEMORALIZING For Luka And The Mavs...

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Jason Kidd pulled a dirty little trick before game 2 to divide the Celtics deadly duo.
If the egos got in the way for Tatum and Brown and they started shooting to show who’s better, instead of trying to win the game, that could be a problem for Boston, and an opportunity for Dallas.
Following game 1 blowout, the Mavs knew they had to come out aggressive from the start.
And despite looking like this just minutes before the game, Luka Doncic started cooking in the 1st quarter.
When you see him hopping on one leg and talking trash to the crowd in the first row, you know it’s going to be a rough night for the defense.
Doncic and Irving combined for 21 points in the first on 9 of 12 shooting, that’s brilliant efficiency.
And on the other end, Boston couldn’t hit anything from long range as they missed their first 8 3pt attempts.
But right away it was evident that Boston’s missed shots were good open looks off of the dribble penetration while Dallas, despite starting out blazing hot, their shots were all tough.
So right away you could get an idea for how this one was going to go.
And despite not being able to convert from downtown, the Celtics were assertive and attacked the paint. Porzingis continued to cause troubles for the Mavs defense in this one as well, as it looks like no one is even tall enough to contest his shots.
And when they weren’t getting buckets, they got fouls, and were a perfect 10/10 from the free throw line in the first period.
Talking about perfect, the Celtics played near perfect on the defensive end as well because..
And it was till the very end of the 1st quarter when Al Horford finally ended the drought from distance, making this a 3 point game.
And it was a similar story in the second, as Luka did everything he could to carry the Mavs and keep them in this game, both with his incredible shotmaking, and some magic on the assists as well.
But meanwhile, Kyrie was completely shut down. Just look at how tough all of these shots look.
The Celtics defenders were all up in his grill. Make or miss, Kyrie had to work hard to even get a shot off, and this was his only make on 5 attempts in the quarter.
Dallas’s buckets looked random and without a real plan or consistency.
But watch how easy things looked for Boston on the other end…
This is the Celtics way. Just a beautiful display of basketball. And it’s dead simple. Either penetrate and finish, or penetrate and kick out for an open three pointer.
There is a clear pattern here of the home team getting to the paint at will. The shot chart is a clear indicator of that. Look at this, everything is inside.
Dallas just could not contain the penetration so watch how easy and routinely it looks for Boston.
And this is just a perfect example of their offense.
Despite all of this, it’s only a 3 point game at half time and to be quite honest I have no idea how Dallas even stayed in the game and why this wasn’t a double digit lead for Boston.
As it turns out, I would get my answers soon because…
I don’t think I’ve seen Luka being in a position so desperate that he has to just throw this pass out without a real idea. Unbelievable.
And it was a familiar sight on offense as well, with Boston having their way and getting to the rim at will, but what’s funny is that despite getting a ton of open looks, Boston shot a horrific 3 for 15 from downtown in the third. They were a combined 6 for 30 in these 3 quarters. 6 for 30. This was Dallas’s best chance of winning, the Celtics will never shoot as badly as this.
And still, they had total control of the game led by their suffocating defense.
Then, to top things off, Payton Pritchard made the crowd explode…
It was obvious that the Mavs didn’t seem to have an answer for Boston, and they couldn’t even pass half court here watch this:
Wooow they really put Dallas in jail. Just an incredible defensive intensity.
And this looked like the final nail in the coffin for the Mavs.
A 14 point game with 3 and a half minutes to go in a game like this, has to be a done deal.
Only thing is, it wasn’t as Luka and company started to chip away at the deficit.
All of a sudden it’s only a 5 point game, if Dallas gets a stop, things could really escalate. And they did…
What a wild sequence. But this push in the back is a clear foul to me, this had to be called.
Maaan, this could have been a dramatic finish, but instead the Celtics seal the deal in a game that was not even supposed to be a single digit win.
I gave this one a 7.1 on rate game, the app where we rate and review each game.
And I was dead on with your opinion.
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