2024 NBA FINALS: #1 Boston Celtics vs #5 Dallas Mavericks (BOS leads 2-0)

[bisme37]

Game 2: Sunday June 9 at 8pm ET on ABC

[bisme37]

Continued from Game 1 thread here: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2384401

[azcatz11]

Continued from Game 1 thread here: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2384401

Are you channeling Roaring Kitty in your OP on this thread? Just curious what the images are and if you're long GME?

[Joshyjess]

As long as Boston keeps it's focus, and simply plays the way they have most of the season, then I think it will be extremely hard for them not to win this game, as well as the series. When Boston is on, they are at a level above every other team in the league. All they have to do is just stay on for the next 3 games to take home the trophy.

[bisme37]

Continued from Game 1 thread here: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2384401

Are you channeling Roaring Kitty in your OP on this thread? Just curious what the images are and if you're long GME?

Just trying to change up the pics haha. I do love me some kitties though. Cute ass fuzzy little things.

[NetsJets]

Celtics win game 2 in a close game

[bisme37]

Carrying over some observations from Game 1...

Mavs with only 9 assists. Luka with 1 assist and only 6 7 potential assists.

Mavs with only 3 attempts and 1 make on corner 3's.

Mavs with zero lob dunks.

Celtics took away basically everything Dallas wanted to do. How do the Mavs adjust?

[CodeBreaker]

Doncic adjusts, blows Boston out of their building.

[Darth Celtic]

Heat fans still so salty. Yes, let the hate flow through you and unleash your anger

[___Rand___]

Carrying over some observations from Game 1...

Mavs with only 9 assists. Luka with 1 assist and only 6 potential assists.

Mavs with only 3 attempts and 1 make on corner 3's.

Mavs with zero lob dunks.

Celtics took away basically everything Dallas wanted to do. How do the Mavs adjust?

Mazzulla was ready for Mavs' lobs. And he had the personnel to do it. Horford plays the pick n roll about as well as any big in the league even at this old age.

Mavs' gameplan was to stop Tatum. But didn't plan well enough for KP. They adjusted to KP in 2nd half but by then it was a bit too late. Both teams have adjustments to make.

Jason Kidd has been a houdini pulling out different rabbits in the west series - against OKC, and against Minny. I think he's got one more rabbit to pull out. He's been underestimated all year all playoffs. I'm not saying Mavs will win it all. Celtics have better over-all talent. But he's going to get them some wins but won't get any credit for it.

[Bobbymcgee]

Other than Celtics fans, there is little reason for NBA fans to bother with these finals. Might as well look ahead to the NBA draft and free agency.

[PierceFan4ever]

BrooklynDynasty wrote:
Mavericks +6.5 is the biggest LOCK of the playoffs, bet the house on it. Boston comes out rusty and with a Porzingis unable to find his sea legs, while Dallas builds a 20 point lead and cruises to victory

In case anyone wanted a good laugh

[Fencer reregistered]

People are talking about both how badly Tatum played and how shockingly absent on offense the opponents he guarded were.

Tatum had the highest +/- on the team.

Hmm ...

[HMFFL]

Carrying over some observations from Game 1...

Mavs with only 9 assists. Luka with 1 assist and only 6 potential assists.

Mavs with only 3 attempts and 1 make on corner 3's.

Mavs with zero lob dunks.

Celtics took away basically everything Dallas wanted to do. How do the Mavs adjust?

The only positive is that Dallas had 46 points in the paint and Boston had 38. Both teams didn't have many fastbreak points. Boston 10, Dallas 6.

Adjustments will be made by both teams regardless of the outcome.

[Fencer reregistered]

As for my off-topic browser praise, the Firefox add-ons I have installed are:

NoScript
AdBlock Plus
Cookies Autodelete
Bypass Paywalls
Bypass Paywalls Clean

Works well for most casual surfing, but I do need at least one other browser for the sites that lean particularly heavily into Javascript and/or that really refuse to work with ad blockers.

For example, I never see ads on RealGM. The only downside I've noticed is that I also never see the embeds of Twitter links, and have to click on them blind instead.

[Jaqua92]

This series is by no means over, I just don't understand why people didn't think the Celtics weren't favored.

It's so clear that previous iterations of this Celtic core have blinded a lot of fans who haven't watched the Celtics with curiosity this year. Holiday and KP bring an attitude and composure completely independent of their skills that this Celtic team hasn't had.

And soooooo many people, particularly Dallas fans, have glossed over the Celtics missing KP this post season and underestimated how impactful KP is for the Celtics this season. If he was durable enough to play more than 65 games, he absolutely would have been an all star, and based on the regular season record, AND the advanced metrics, he's been an all NBA calibur center all season.

He may never have a shooting half like that again. But it doesn't matter. He's one of the 2 or 3 elite rim protectors in the NBA. He and Nikola Jokic are the 2 most effecient post up players in the NBA. When combining his post up effeciency with his spacing, he's presence on the floor creates SO much offensive opportunity for the Celtics. This wasn't really poor defense by Dallas .. when KP is out there, the Celtic roster can generate open looks all the time.

But what stuck out to me were two things... Bad habits and composure.

The Celtics took their foot off of the gas to end the 2nd half, and the lead went down to 21 from 29. The energy, attitude, defensive intensity and offensive execution reduced. I know this team, suspected they would come out and get outplayed to start the third. I suspected it would be down to 15 by the 10 minute mark of the 3rd, and single digits by the 4th quarter.

In typical Celtics fashion, they played themselves out of rhythm, went away from what worked, and Dallas was able to make a run, and push the Celtics into the yips, resulting in bad habits

They regrouped, KP came back on the floor, and they blew the game back open. Last year's Celtic team probably doesn't lose that game, but the game absolutely ends close.

The Celtics showed a composure and readiness they simply haven't before. That matters.

Dallas can win this series, but they're gonna have to pressure the Celtics into bad offensive habits.

They look outmatched. This looked nothing like OKC game 1 and LA game 1

[CIN-C-STAR]

People are talking about both how badly Tatum played and how shockingly absent on offense the opponents he guarded were.

Tatum had the highest +/- on the team.

Hmm ...

It's funny to me that he worships Kobe so much, because he plays absolutely nothing like him -- and that's a good thing, especially with as talented as the roster around him is.
He let the game come to him instead of forcing stuff and that was the right move. His gravity helps the great players around him shine, as it should be.
I thought it was so cringe how he made his last Finals appearance about his Kobe fandom and wore all that Kobe stuff. Kobe was a great player and a worthy idol, but he shouldn't have made the Finals about that. Glad he has matured and made this Finals about his team and the Boston Celtics winning a championship (just as Kobe would have done, you never saw him parading around in a bunch of Jordan gear before any Finals games).
I think he's matured a lot and even if his box scores aren't jumping out at you, the fact that he is OK with that and just making the right plays is exactly what you want from the leader of your team.

[brackdan70]

Carrying over some observations from Game 1...

Mavs with only 9 assists. Luka with 1 assist and only 6 potential assists.

Mavs with only 3 attempts and 1 make on corner 3's.

Mavs with zero lob dunks.

Celtics took away basically everything Dallas wanted to do. How do the Mavs adjust?

They need to move the ball around imo. Lukas slow mo attack isn’t going to cut it.

[brackdan70]

BrooklynDynasty wrote:
Mavericks +6.5 is the biggest LOCK of the playoffs, bet the house on it. Boston comes out rusty and with a Porzingis unable to find his sea legs, while Dallas builds a 20 point lead and cruises to victory

In case anyone wanted a good laugh

Yeah the Brooklyn Dynasty hasn’t worked out either.

[ThumbsUpBaby]

Doncic adjusts, blows Boston out of their building.

I thought it was a 5 vs 5 sport, not a 1 vs 5. But good to know your hate defies all logic