Celtics Take Big Early Lead, Rout Mavericks in Game One of the NBA Finals
The Boston Celtics did not accidentally post a 64-18 regular season record, nor did they just stumble to a 12-2 record in the Eastern Conference playoffs; they are big, deep, and versatile--and with Kristaps Porzingis back in the fold they are now at full strength. Prior to game one of the NBA Finals, it was fashionable in some quarters to pick the Dallas Mavericks based on the notion that the Mavericks navigated a tougher postseason journey thus far--but in game one the Celtics asserted their dominance early, and they dominated most of the game en route to a 107-89 win. It is also fashionable to call game one a "feel out" game, but the reality is that the winner of game one of the NBA Finals has captured the championship 70% of the time.
Six Celtics scored in double figures, led by Jaylen Brown's 22 points on 7-12 field goal shooting. Brown also had six rebounds, three steals, three blocked shots, and two assists. Porzingis had a sensational return to action after missing the last 10 games due to a calf injury, scoring 20 points on 8-13 field goal shooting in 21 minutes off of the bench. He added six rebounds and three blocked shots. Jayson Tatum had a quiet offensive game by his lofty standards (16 points on 6-16 field goal shooting, game-high six turnovers), but he posted game-high totals in rebounds (11) and assists (five). Derrick White (15 points, five assists) and Jrue Holiday (12 points, eight rebounds, five assists, game-best +22 plus/minus number) made significant contributions at both ends of the court.
Luka Doncic scored a game-high 30 points and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds, but the Celtics can live with Doncic shooting 12-26 from the field and posting just one assist versus four turnovers. P.J. Washington was Dallas' second leading scorer with 14 points, and the Celtics can live with that as well--which is not to say that Washington played poorly, but just to note that the Mavericks are not going to win many playoff games when Washington is their second leading scorer with just 14 points. Jaden Hardy had 13 points in 11 minutes, but he scored 11 of those points in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter with the outcome of the game long decided. The Kyrie Irving redemption stories will have to be put on hold for at least one more game, as Irving finished with 12 points on 6-19 field goal shooting along with two assists and three turnovers. Irving did not make a three pointer and he did not attempt a free throw.
Porzingis scored 11 first quarter points on 4-5 field goal shooting while also snaring three rebounds and blocking two shots. The Celtics built the largest first quarter lead in NBA Finals history, 37-20, while shooting 13-23 (.565) from the field and holding the Mavericks to 9-24 (.375) field goal shooting. The Celtics pushed the margin to 29 (58-29) at the 4:11 mark of the second quarter before the Mavericks closed the first half with a 13-5 run to pull within 63-42 at halftime.
Doncic outscored the Celtics 10-9 during the first 7:32 of the third quarter as the Mavericks slashed the deficit to 72-64, but then Tatum and Brown steadied the ship by attacking the hoop on offense. Brown also asserted himself defensively. The first eight minutes or so of the third quarter were the Celtics at their worst, jacking up three pointers and not playing high energy defense, but that proved to be just a brief interlude in the middle of 40 minutes of dominance.
Doncic is so skilled that he can score at least 25-30 points versus any defense, but the Celtics are able to match up one on one with Doncic and Irving, which makes it difficult for the Mavericks to create the lob opportunities and open three pointers that they feasted on when opposing teams trapped Doncic and Irving during their three previous playoff series. The Celtics not only match up well with Doncic and Irving but they also have several perimeter players who can expose Doncic and Irving defensively.
In my series preview I declared, "Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are an even better two-way duo than Doncic
and Irving, and Boston has the NBA's best, most versatile starting
lineup." The Tatum-Brown duo is collectively bigger than the Doncic-Irving duo, and the Tatum-Brown duo significantly impacts the game at both ends of the court while the Doncic-Irving duo primarily impacts the game on offense.
NBA playoff series are decided by matchups, not momentum. Game two starts 0-0, not 107-89, and the outcome of that game will be determined by the extent to which the Celtics exploit their matchup advantages; if they attack the hoop on offense and defend the paint on defense, they will beat the Mavericks--but if they jack up three pointers early in the shot clock and play with low energy defensively then they will give the Mavericks a chance to steal homecourt advantage. The Celtics took a 2-1 advantage in the 2022 NBA Finals only to lose game four to the Golden State Warriors and then fall in six games. The Celtics enjoyed similar matchup advantages versus the Warriors that they enjoy now versus the Mavericks, but they did not relentlessly exploit those matchup advantages in 2022; it will be interesting to see if they have learned from that painful lesson.
Labels: Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic
posted by David Friedman @ 11:39 PM
Kyrie Irving's Chinese Shoe Company ANTA is Involved in Human Rights Abuses, Including the Use of Slave Labor
The recent announcement that Kyrie Irving signed his father to a shoe contract was presented as a heartwarming and unique story of familial love. There is no doubt that Irving timed this announcement to coincide
with the NBA Finals in order to garner maximum media attention, and thus
obtain the maximum possible profits from sales of the new shoe.
An important part of that story was left out: ANTA and other Chinese shoe companies that have NBA player representatives are involved in human rights abuses, including the use of slave labor.
How many media members are
knowledgeable enough and have enough intestinal fortitude to point out
ANTA's sordid track record? Since Irving decided to make this
announcement on the eve of the NBA Finals, will even one media member
dare to question Irving about this during any of the NBA Finals media availability
sessions?
It must be noted that Irving is not the only NBA player who has a shoe deal with a Chinese company; other current and retired players with such deals include Precious Achiuwa, Jimmy Butler, Alex Caruso, Hamidou Diallo, Spencer Dinwiddie, Aaron Gordon, Udonis Haslem, Gordon Hayward, Kevon Looney, Terance Mann, C.J. McCollum, Austin Reaves, D'Angelo Russell, Klay Thompson, Fred VanVleet, Dwyane Wade, Andrew Wiggins, and Lou Williams.
All of those players should be called out, not just Kyrie Irving--but the NBA cares about profits, not people; the Chinese persecution of Uighur Muslims does not concern self-proclaimed "progressives" in general, nor does it concern the NBA--which touts itself as the most "progressive" sports league--in particular. "Progressives" speak out about alleged human rights violations in Gaza because this serves their preferred antisemitic/anti-Zionist narrative, but the reality is that they don't care about Muslims in Gaza, China, or anywhere else, because if they cared then they would speak out against China instead of focusing their attention on false allegations against the only democratic nation in the Mideast.
Will anyone have the guts to ask Irving why he proudly wears a keffiyeh to show his support for Hamas' terrorism against Israel and the Jewish people while also profiting off of the enslavement of Uighur Muslims in China? Will anyone ask Irving to speak out against Hamas' persecution of Gazans, including stealing the aid provided by the international community? Does anyone care about Irving's blatant hypocrisy of claiming to care about Muslims when in fact his Chinese shoe company is persecuting Muslims?
Or are we just going to be subjected to the Kyrie Irving redemption narrative devoid of facts and context? That narrative is rapidly descending into propaganda actively promoted by sympathetic media outlets and media members.
Irving often states that Kobe Bryant was his mentor. Bryant spoke out against Arab/Islamic genocide in Sudan. Will Irving ever speak out against Arab/Islamic genocide and totalitarianism? Or is Irving so wrapped up in promoting antisemitic conspiracies that he cannot bring himself to speak out against Arab/Islamic countries and movements that are antisemitic? Irving mentions the rights of indigenous people. Is he aware that Arabs/Muslims colonized and depopulated a vast swath of territory extending from Morocco all the way to Pakistan? Will Irving ever speak out about the Arab/Muslim persecution of indigenous African, Mideast, and Asian communities?
Irving cannot have it both ways: he cannot insist on being judged only as a basketball player but then also tout himself as some kind of humanitarian philosopher while he is promoting antisemitism and profiting off of human rights abuses.
Former NBA player Etan Thomas spoke out against the Brooklyn Nets suspending Kyrie Irving for promoting a film containing antisemitic tropes. Thomas has been very critical--in a baseless and uninformed way--of Israel for alleged human rights violations. When will Thomas speak out against Irving and all of the other NBA players who are profiting from China's human rights abuses? Former NBA players Craig Hodges and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf say a lot about Israel and Gaza; have they ever spoken out against Chinese persecution of Muslims? Thomas, Hodges, Abdul-Rauf, Irving, and others are making it clear, based on what they speak about and what they are silent about, who and what they actually represent; what they actually represent has little to do with fighting oppression. They are advancing an anti-democracy/anti-capitalism/pro-Marxist agenda; anything that they believe advances that agenda will be mentioned, and anything that they believe does not advance than agenda will be ignored. China is a communist country, so Chinese oppression does not advance an anti-democracy/anti-capitalism/pro-Marxist agenda. That is why Irving wears a keffiyeh while profiting from Chinese persecution of Muslims, and that is why Thomas, Hodges, Abdul-Rauf, and others are so pro-Irving and so silent about China.
ESPN knows about and has covered the fact that Chinese shoe companies with NBA player representatives use slave labor and commit human rights abuses--but will Mike Wilbon, Stephen A. Smith, Brian Windhorst, Dave McMenamin, or anyone from ESPN's wall to wall NBA Finals coverage have the courage to call out Irving's hypocrisy? Irving is using his status as an NBA star to profit off of Chinese oppression, and he has used his huge social media presence to promote antisemitism; media members have an obligation to question Irving about these topics.
Labels: ANTA, antisemitism, China, Etan Thomas, Kyrie Irving
posted by David Friedman @ 11:39 AM
Boston Versus Dallas Preview
NBA Finals
Boston (64-18) vs. Dallas (50-30)
Season series: Boston, 2-0
Dallas can win if…Luka Doncic produces efficient 25-plus point triple doubles, Kyrie Irving continues to be an effective second option, and the Mavericks' young big men control the paint. Doncic is having a playoff run for the ages, with a league-best six triple doubles in 17 playoff games as the Mavericks upset three higher seeded teams (the L.A. Clippers, the number one seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Minnesota Timberwolves) to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since Dirk Nowitzki carried Dallas to the 2011 NBA title. During the 2024 playoffs, Doncic is averaging 28.8 ppg (seventh in the league), 9.6 rpg (ninth in the league), and 8.8 apg (first in the league); he earned the Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals MVP after averaging 32.4 ppg, 9.6 rpg, and 8.2 apg versus the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals. Lloyd Daniels and Toni Kukoc were both dubbed "Magic Johnson with a jump shot," but--at least from a statistical standpoint--that is who Doncic has resembled during this playoff run: he is the most productive passer, he rebounds like a center from the guard position, and he is a prolific scorer who has made more three pointers (57) that any other player during the playoffs. What distinguished Johnson, though, was not numbers or hype, but the ability to lift his team to five NBA championships, and that is the next step for Doncic.
Irving is enjoying his most successful postseason since he was the second option on Cleveland's 2016 championship team; this is not just about numbers--although his 2024 playoff statistics are excellent (22.8 ppg, 5.2 apg, 3.9 rpg, .485/.421/.828 shooting splits)--but about his seamless acceptance of the second option role. Irving averaged 27.0 ppg, 4.6 apg, and 3.6 rpg versus Minnesota in the Western Conference Finals. When Irving is on the court with Doncic, the opposing defense is stretched to the breaking point: Doncic and Irving both need to be tightly guarded anywhere within 25 feet from the hoop, five other Mavericks are each shooting at least .350 from three point range during the playoffs, and Daniel Gafford and rookie Dereck Lively II are each shooting better than .600 from the field primarily by feasting on rim runs that are opened up by the attention paid to Doncic, Irving, and the three point shooters.
Midseason acquisitions Gafford and P.J. Washington have both started every playoff game and made major contributions. Gafford is averaging 9.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg, and a team-high 1.8 bpg during the playoffs, while Washington ranks third on the team in playoff scoring (13.6 ppg), and third in rebounding (6.7 rpg). Lively II ranks first on the team in playoff field goal percentage (.667), and second in rebounding (7.2 rpg).
Coach Jason Kidd deserves a lot of credit not only for mentoring Irving to blend in with Doncic and the rest of the team, but also for maximizing the talents of Gafford, Washington, and Lively II.
Boston will win because…Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are an even better two-way duo than Doncic and Irving, and Boston has the NBA's best, most versatile starting lineup. Tatum is averaging 26.0 ppg, 10.4 rpg (seventh in the league), and 5.9 apg (10th in the league) during the 2024 playoffs. He averaged 30.3 ppg, 10.3 rpg, and 6.3 apg as the Celtics swept the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, and he was a legitimate contender for the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP award that he had already won in 2022. Brown is averaging 25.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg, and 2.6 apg during the 2024 playoffs, and he earned
the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP after averaging 29.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg, and 3.0 apg versus the Pacers. Tatum and Brown are bigger than Doncic and Irving, and are much better defensively while being, at worst, comparable offensively.
Boston's other starters are two-time All-Star/six-time All-Defensive Team member Jrue Holiday, two-time All-Defensive Team member Derrick White, and five-time All-Star Al Horford. When 2018 All-Star Kristaps Porzingis returns from his right calf injury, either he or Horford will be a potent sixth man. Porzingis was the starting center before he got hurt, but it is possible that the Celtics will bring him off of the bench now to preserve the continuity that they developed during the 10 playoff games that Porzingis missed.
Holiday scores, rebounds, passes, and defends. He has championship experience, and he fills whatever role he is asked to fill without complaints or drama. White is a bigger, younger version of Holiday (but without the championship experience). Horford does not have the mobility or endurance that he had in his younger days, but he can still be a potent weapon at both ends of the court, as he showed in game three versus Indiana (23 points, five rebounds, three blocked shots) and the game five series clinching win versus Cleveland (22 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, three blocked shots).
During the regular season, the Celtics ranked first in blocked shots (6.6 bpg), first in fewest turnovers (11.9 tpg), second in scoring (120.6 ppg), second in defensive field goal percentage (.453), second in rebounding (46.3 rpg), fifth in points allowed (109.2 ppg), and eighth in field goal percentage (.487). Their 11.3 ppg scoring differential is historically great, trailing only four legendary championship teams: the Chamberlain-West 1972 L.A. Lakers (12.3 ppg), the Abdul-Jabbar-Robertson 1971 Milwaukee Bucks (12.3 ppg), the Jordan-Pippen 1996 Chicago Bulls (12.2 ppg), and the Durant-Curry 2017 Golden State Warriors (11.6 ppg).
Other things to consider:
The Celtics have been the NBA's most dominant team this season. The only chinks in their armor are (1) their stubborn insistence on jacking up more than 40 three point field goal attempts per game even when they enjoy higher percentage matchup opportunities inside the arc, and (2) their tendency to relax, as illustrated by their two double digit home playoff losses this year to markedly inferior opponents (Miami and Cleveland).
It is great to shoot open three pointers created off of drive and kick action or from offensive rebounds when the defense is in scramble mode, but it is not optimal to just hoist three pointers without regard to time, score, and matchups. Tatum and Brown in particular most focus first on attacking the hoop to score; after the defense loads up to stop their drives, the three point shot will open up for them and for their teammates.
The Celtics' tendency to relax has not harmed them during the 2024 playoffs, but they cannot afford to give away anything to the Mavericks.
Both teams are strong defensively, which means that the star players may be held below their typical field goal percentages. The term "efficiency" is thrown around a lot, but is poorly understood. For examples, Lively II has a 2024 playoff field goal percentage of .667 but that does not mean that he is Dallas' most efficient offensive player nor does it mean that he should be attempting 20 shots a game. He is attempting less than five shots per game, mainly dunks and put backs, and his high field goal percentage is a direct product of the defensive attention drawn by Doncic and Irving. Players like Doncic, Irving, Tatum, and Brown should be judged not just on their individual field goal percentages but rather on how efficiently they run their offenses.
Dirk Nowitzki shot .416 from the field in the 2011 NBA Finals, but he attracted so much defensive attention that his Mavericks shot .454 from the field overall while upsetting the heavily favored Miami Heat. There is a big difference between shooting low percentage shots that do not challenge the defense, and shooting high percentage shots that force the defense to react. During the 2011 NBA Finals, Nowitzki attempted 46 free throws and 19 three pointers; he attacked the hoop, he forced the Heat to pay extra attention to him, and he drew fouls that put the Mavericks into the bonus. Even though Nowitzki had a low field goal percentage, he broke Miami's defense--and, on top of that, he consistently dominated in the fourth quarter with the outcome of the game in the balance. Kobe Bryant had a similarly great performance in the 2010 NBA Finals versus an even better defense than the one Nowitzki faced in 2011.
Ideally, Tatum, Brown, Doncic, and Irving will each shoot at least .450 from the field during the 2024 NBA Finals, but that number alone--or the "advanced" shooting numbers that are often spouted by "stat gurus"--is not how their Finals performances should be defined. The star players must distort the opposing defense to consistently create high percentage shots for their teams.
In short, there is a difference between shooting in the low .400s while
jacking up "logo" three pointers early in the shot clock, and shooting
in the low .400s while driving to the hoop, attracting double teams, and
drawing fouls. LeBron James did not become a champion until he learned
this; James Harden and Damian Lillard are two highly-hyped players who are unlikely to ever become champions because they have never learned this.
This series will be legacy-defining for several players, but more so for Doncic and Tatum than anyone else; one of those players will win his first NBA title. It is easy to assume that both are young enough and talented enough to return to this stage several more times, but nothing is promised or guaranteed in this life.
It is possible that the Mavericks will keep all of these games close, and manage to win four of them thanks to Doncic and Irving rising to the occasion down the stretch, but I predict that Boston will win in six games.
Labels: Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic
posted by David Friedman @ 2:34 PM
