BOSTON — Conventional wisdom suggests the key to beating the Dallas Mavericks is stopping superstar Luka Doncic from scoring.
In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics used a different strategy: shut down everyone.
Doncic had a game-high 30 points on 12 of 26 shooting Thursday night at TD Garden, adding 10 rebounds while hitting four 3-pointers on 12 attempts. However, the number the Celtics were interested in was one.
Doncic’s assist on Thursday was his lowest in a game (with a minimum of 15 minutes played) since May 7, 2021. It was only the fourth time in his career he was limited to an assist in those tiny parameters, and the first time he was limited to an assist in the playoffs.
So how did the Celtics return the All-NBA guard — who ranked second in the NBA in assists per game during the regular season (9.8) and entered the night with 8, Playoff-leading 8 assists per game – a non-factor on the game’s biggest stage en route to a 107-89 victory?
Rather than blitzing Doncic with double teams, Boston played almost exclusively 1-on-1 defense, relying on All-Defensive guards Derrick White and Jrue Holiday and All-Star wing Jaylen Brown to stay in front of Doncic, then switching to pick-and-place. -rolls instead of helping defenders and giving him passing lanes to open up shooters.
The result, no other Dallas player reaches 15 points; Kyrie Irving had just 12 points on 6-of-19 shooting, while PJ Washington (14 points) and Jaden Hardy (13 points) were the only other Mavs in double figures.
“What makes our team really special is we don’t have guys that we hide on defense,” Celtics star Jayson Tatum said after the game. “Big boys and guards, we change, we take on the challenge of individual defense. Understanding that we have help, it’s a team sport, we all have to be on the same page, but we don’t show it or anything like that because that might somehow compromise your defense.
“Essentially, if you want to play on our team, you have to be able to defend, and everyone knows that.
The Celtics have strong individual defenders, from Holiday and White to Tatum and Brown, who racked up three steals and three blocks Thursday night, including a statement hit on Irving.
This gives them the luxury of not doubling Doncic or Irving, and in Game 1, it led to a historic lack of ball movement from Dallas: the Mavs had just nine assists total, becoming just nine assists. the third team since 1966 (And the first since 2010) for having 10 assists or less in a final match.
“You have to give credit to the Celtics; they did a great job on defense, which made it difficult for us,” Mavs head coach Jason Kidd said. “We had good looks that didn’t go down. We have to move the ball. The ball is just stuck too much.”
Dallas will make adjustments in Game 2 on Sunday. The Celtics should expect Doncic to be much more aggressive as a playmaker, even if he doesn’t see double teams, and should expect better 3-point shooting from the Mavs , who hit only 25.9% of their shots. Deep balls (7 of 27) in Game 1, well below their playoff average of 37.2 percent.
But head coach Joe Mazzulla and the C’s deserve credit for executing a solid defensive game plan against one of the best offensive players in basketball.
“Just great individual defense,” Mazzulla noted. “Everyone has to face the challenge of guarding these guys. They’re an incredible team and they put a lot of pressure on you with their ability to score. Everyone is going to take it personal (and) be proud of their individual. defense.”
