Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce couldn’t resist taunting and teasing the skeptics following the Beantown squad’s triumph over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday evening.
Before the Boston-Dallas showdown, both fans and analysts expressed reservations about the Celtics’ chances against the battle-hardened Mavericks team. The Mavericks had fought through a tough path to the Finals, defeating three 50-win teams as a fifth seed in the Western Conference. In contrast, Boston had faced less formidable opponents, with several teams grappling with injuries. Despite this, Jayson Tatum and his teammates had only suffered two losses in the playoffs thus far, even sweeping the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Many speculated that because the Celtics hadn’t faced significant challenges yet, they might struggle against a confident Mavericks squad, especially with Luka Doncic, arguably the best player remaining in the postseason.
However, in Game 1, the Celtics demonstrated why they were the top team in the NBA during the 2023-24 season. They built a commanding lead of up to 29 points against the Mavericks, ultimately securing a 107-89 victory.
Following the win, Pierce took to X (formerly Twitter) to mock those who had doubted the Celtics, quipping, “Why is everyone so quiet today?”
Despite the Celtics’ dominant performance against the Mavericks in Game 1, star player Jaylen Brown isn’t entirely satisfied with their showing. Despite Boston’s efforts to contain Dallas’ MVP contender Luka Doncic, the Slovenian sensation still put up impressive numbers, recording a 30-point double-double with 10 rebounds on 12-of-26 shooting from the field. Boston’s defensive strategy primarily focused on neutralizing Doncic’s teammates.
While Brown and his teammates effectively limited the rest of the Mavericks outside of Doncic, the MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals believes that the team needs to deliver a more comprehensive performance. Brown acknowledges that failing to find a way to contain Doncic could make it challenging for the Celtics to consistently control the game against Dallas.
Reflecting on the team’s effort, Brown emphasized the need for improvement, stating, “It was a collective team effort, and although Luka Doncic still managed to put up 30 points and 10 rebounds, we need to do better. We had some fortunate breaks tonight, but we need to prepare better for Game 2.”
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