The Boston Celtics took another giant leap towards claiming a historic 18th NBA title with a convincing victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of their Finals series at TD Garden.
The Eastern Conference champions - who are level with the Los Angeles Lakers at the top of the NBA titles chart with 17 to their name - ran out 107-89 winners on home territory to move three games away from glory.
Bidding to end the Celtics' 16-year championship drought since they last conquered the NBA in 2008, head coach Joe Mazzulla was seen getting some inspiration from Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola before the opening fixture.
Mazzulla and Guardiola - who led Man City to a record-breaking fourth straight Premier League title in 2024 - exchanged jerseys and talked tactics on the court before the former's side stifled the Mavericks' threat expertly.
Blowing the Western Conference champions away in the first quarter, the Celtics led by 21 points after the first two quarters and limited the Mavericks to a mere nine assists on their 35 field goals, while managing the same number of blocks throughout.
PORZINGIS IS UNSTOPPABLE RIGHT NOW ☔ pic.twitter.com/igS2LE4Woj
— ESPN (@espn) June 7, 2024
Who scored the most points for the Celtics and Mavericks?
Mavericks star Luka Doncic led the way in Game 1 points with a tally of 30 to his name, in addition to leading his side on the rebounds counter with 10, although Kyrie Irving's paltry tally of two assists was their most in that regard.
Irving (12) also hit double figures in points for the losing visitors, as did PJ Washington (14) and Jaden Hardy (13), but Doncic finished the defeat with just one assist under his belt.
However, the majority of the plaudits rightly went to Celtics man Kristaps Porzingis, who made his comeback after a five-week absence with a calf injury and registered 20 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Jaylen Brown slightly bettered his teammate's tally with 22 points for the victors, while Jayson Tatum registered 16 in addition to a team-high 11 rebounds and five assists.
When is Game 2 between the Celtics and Mavericks?
The second game of the NBA Finals takes place at TD Garden on Sunday, June 9, starting at 8pm local time and 1am UK time on Monday morning.
Ben Knapton
