Irving struggled with his chance in Game 1 and came in with the worst match overall, minus 19 on the evening.
BOSTON — On the long stroll down the hallway from the customers ' locker room to his postgame news conference Thursday evening, Kyrie Irving carried a sports, dribbling sometimes. The Dallas Mavericks watch said, "l have it, i want it," when one offered to hold it as he took the floor. I did n't shoot particularly well tonight".
In his thanksgiving to Boston, where he spent two frightened times, Irving logged 12 details on 19 pictures and two assists against three turnovers in a 107- 89 decline in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Met with "Kyrie sucks" slogans and shouts! he missed all five of his 3- place efforts. After sitting for a great 37 minutes, Irving finished the game with a 19-game worst plus.
" Being in this setting, I'm used to it at this place", said Irving, who stomped on Boston's symbol at midcourt and flipped the animal to supporters in past playoff visits to TD Garden. " Early in my job, I had a unique connection with Boston.... Today I'm here as a senior. Over the past few years, experiencing the playoffs around, even ordinary time, it's been the same item. I anticipated it would be a little louder in below, but I'm hoping the audience will be trying to get in the mood for Game 2 and the same things.
Irving's inc- sun, Luka Dončić, scored 30 details on 26 pictures, but the two combined for only three assists. On 35 industry goals, the Mavericks made nine, five less than their lowest total this time. Boston played both stars one- on- one, funneling them to aid in the color and staying residence on guns. The Celtics blocked as many pictures as Dallas assisted, and the Mavs managed only two corner 3- place efforts, missing both.
" Even as I say that — ' they are relying on the one- on- one ' — every time I got an iso, there's almost two, three people waiting for me to get in there", Irving said. I must be aware of my opportunities and catch the ball on a live dribble. It's uncharacteristic for us to have nine assists. The ball has got to move".
Dallas could n't match Boston's outstanding defensive effort. But can it? Six Celtics scored in double figures. Krastaps Porziis consistently scored over smaller defenders, resulting in 20 points in a remarkable recovery from a calf strain that cost him for a month. Count Jaylen Brown among several Celtics who repeatedly made Dončić work defensively, his 22 points hardly reflecting his forceful effort.
Boston left yet another level unanswered.
" We played well tonight. There's a lot of things we feel like we could do better", said Jayson Tatum, who was held to 16 points on 16 shots. We know that two years ago, we won the first game and the series ' outcome, but it definitely feels good to win the first game. Therefore, there is still a lot to do.
Two years ago, Tatum was the first- timer in the Finals, facing the veteran Golden State Warriors. The script is flipped this time around, as Irving is the only Maverick accustomed to a Finals stage. Doni is without any worries because he was well-prepared for his European studies. Derrick Jones Jr., who played garbage time for the Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA Finals and missed seven of his nine shots in Game 1, is the only person on the Mavs who can offer advice. The only other person standing up for a fight appeared to be P. J. Washington.
" We just have to stay connected, stay together", said Washington, who totaled 14 points and eight rebounds. We let the crowd and the refs get to us, and we let them make shots, I thought. At the end of the day, we just have to stick together and be ourselves. We are a great team. At the end of the day, they work well together. We're all right. It's only one game. We'll be better for Game 2".
They ought to hope so. If Thursday's performance on Thursday betrays what Dallas desperately needs, Doni and Irving could face a difficult series battle.
The Mavericks showed optimism about their ability to create open looks even though they had missed a lot of them during the majority of their postgame press release. Trailing 58- 29 midway through the second quarter, Dallas closed within 72- 64 with 4: 28 remaining in the third, forcing a Celtics timeout. The Mavericks had three opportunities to cut further into Boston's advantage, but rookie center Dereck Lively II traveled on one possession, Irving traveled on the next, and Irving missed his third wide- open look from distance.
The Celtics responded on a 14- 0 run, and the game was gone.
" I thought he had great looks that just did n't go down", Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said of Irving's 6- for- 19 shooting performance. " He had some great looks at three. He had some great looks in the paint. That's just part of basketball. They occasionally enter. Sometimes they do n't. Tonight, they just did n't go down for Kai— or most of the team. And hopefully Game 2 will feature those exact shots, allowing us to improve.
Better offensively. Better defensively. That is something that needs improvement, with the Celtics hoping to do worse. Both Kidd and Doni stressed the value of joyful play. " I thought we were n't having fun", said Kidd. That is difficult when you dig a 17- point hole in the first quarter. They believed the third had found it.
Facing the media, Irving smiled in the game's aftermath. A lot. It was something we have not seen much from him in Boston, even when he played for the Celtics. Perhaps he is aware of something that we are unaware of. He better.
Someone inquired about the ball in Irving's hands as he walked off the podium and grinned at his fellow speakers in the hallway. " My heartbeat", he said. In Game 2, Dallas must get it, or Boston will reject it.
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