Injury Update: Magic Johnson Reveals One Big Thing The Boston Celtics Did To Overrun The Dallas Mavericks.
While many anticipated it, many were stunned to see the Boston Celtics dominate the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1.
The opening game of the 2024 NBA Finals was low-scoring by today’s standards, but both teams played excellent basketball. The Celtics were unstoppable on offense, with Kristaps Porzingis making the difference for Joe Mazzulla and his club.
However, one NBA icon believes there is more to the game than what the final score tells us. He feels the Celtics were able to accomplish one thing very well: throw the Mavericks off their game and leave Luka Doncic to fend for himself.
Magic Johnson identifies the Boston Celtics’ defense as the key to their Game 1 victory.
Magic Johnson is a fan of the game and always delivers insightful commentary that highlights facets of the game that fans might otherwise overlook.
According to ClutchPoints’ Jay Postrado, the Lakers great lauded the Celtics’ defensive effort to keep the Mavericks from posing a significant danger to the team.
“The Celtics’ defense crushed the Mavs, knocking them entirely out of their game. As I stated earlier this week, the Celtics just have more depth and firepower than the Mavericks, and it was on full show today!,” the Los Angeles Lakers star observed.
The box score backs Magic’s assertions. The Mavericks had a team shooting percentage of 41.7%. To make matters worse, they shot a dismal 7-of-27 from three-point range, virtually eliminating any possibility of a comeback.
Luka Doncic finished his first Finals appearance with 30 points, but he had to shoot 26 times to get that total. Kyrie Irving appeared to succumb to the strain of the TD Garden crowd, finishing the night with a dismal 12 points on 6-of-19 shooting.
The Boston Celtics can expect the Mavericks to arrive to Game 2 ready to score, and the Luka-Kyrie tandem will be more bothersome than ever. If the Celtics want to conclude the Finals early, they must sustain this level of defense throughout the series.
