MrGoat wrote:hugepatsfan wrote:MrGoat wrote:What is it with Dallas and game 1s? I guess winning game 1 in Minnesota had to be a fluke, this is more in line with how the Mavs start series.
Lively got in foul trouble, and Kidd got baited into going small instead of sticking with the team's identity. Not a good combination with a no show by Kyrie. When Lively got his 5th foul I knew it was over, Gafford needs to show more defensive awareness so Kidd doesn't play into Boston's hands and try to go small against them again. And let's not give Jaden Hardy 1st quarter minutes next time.
It’s going to be tough for Dallas to play big. Both the Celtics centers pull them away from the rim with their shooting so they aren’t able to be rim protectors like they have been. And then on the other end, the combination of the BOS bigs not being undersized and their perimeter guys not needing a double on Luka or Kyrie doesn’t create the easy lob opportunities. Obviously they’re good players and will have their moments but the matchup wise the Cletics really neutralize their skill sets on both ends of the court. This is not an ideal matchup for them.
Gafford's the main issue. Lively is a capable perimeter defender on top of being a rim protector but he can't play 48 minutes and if he gets in foul trouble like game 1... Gafford is easier to exploit but giving Maxi minutes at the 5 isn't the answer. Although the offense lost them the game more than the defense, Kyrie's no show made it a lot easier to cover the lobs for Boston. I'm not panicking yet, aside from the Minnesota series Dallas has a history of truly dreadful game 1 performances under Kidd, though the main adjustment is they need Kyrie to do something, he was pitiful in game 1
Celtics shot below their averages. If Kyrie made 5 more shots the game is still a blowout.
Boston is an entirely different animal than LA and OKC.
