The Boston Celtics came into Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks as heavy favorites to take the game on their home floor at TD Garden. And thanks to an incredibly hot start, they lived up to the expectations and then some in historic fashion.
The return of star big man Kristap Porzingis from injury loomed large early in the game. Porzingis impacted every facet of the game, scoring 18 first-half points to lead his team to a 21-point lead at the half.
Dallas made the game respectable at times in the second half, getting the game as close as eight points in the third quarter. But the Celtics’ well-rounded offensive attack was too much, pulling away down the stretch with a 107-89 victory thanks to six double-digit scorers all playing a big impact.
It truly seems like this Celtics team may just be a bit too much for the Mavericks. This win marks their eighth consecutive victory this postseason, which dates all the way back to their second-round matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
This breaks the previous franchise record of consecutive postseason wins, which was set by the 1986 Celtics, who of course went on to win in the finals over the Houston Rockets in six games.
It’s only one game, so there is still plenty of work to be done for this Celtics team to try and live up to the 1986 team. But it sure seems like the Mavericks will need to make some significant adjustments if they are going to compete in this series.