If you’ve been on NBA socials since the Celtics thrashing of the Mavericks in Game 1, you know how Boston attacked Luka Doncic on both sides of the ball: switch on screens and defend him one-on-one and attack him in isolation on offense.
Statistically, the numbers are staggering. Doncic recorded just one assist (an outlet pass in transition to PJ Washington and a generous gift from the Garden scorekeeper) in the Finals opener. For the entire game, the Celtics limited him to just six potential assists; by comparison, Jaylen Brown (8), Jrue Holiday (9), Al Horford (12), and Jayson Tatum (14) all had more.
Much has already been said about the geometry of it all and how the Celtics took away the lob passes and corner threes from the Mavericks’ offensive attack. Here’s a snippet from SB Nation’s Joe Viray:
The Celtics approached the former through two main coverages:
1. With Al Horford on the floor, they were more keen to switch everything to keep the Mavericks’ half-court actions flat. This allowed defenders to stay home on their assignments, including the corners. The trust in Horford and other “lesser” defenders to hold their own in isolation against Dončić and Irving was largely justified.
2. With Kristaps Porziņģis on the floor, the Celtics opted to put him in drop coverage in pick-and-roll situations. This kept half-court possessions a two-on-two endeavor and eliminated the need for the other three defenders to rotate, all while trusting Holiday or White to navigate around ball screens. Otherwise, they would switch screening actions that didn’t involve Porziņģis (i.e., switching 1-4).
Check out the film breakdown. Joe’s really good with the details.
If you’re curious about how the one-on-one numbers vs. Doncic break out, here they are from NBA Stats’ tracking data:
Luka Doncic vs. the Celtics in Game 1
| Player | Possessions | Points | Assists | Turnovers | Blocks | Field Goals Made | Field Goals Attempted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Possessions | Points | Assists | Turnovers | Blocks | Field Goals Made | Field Goals Attempted |
| Al Horford | 6.8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Kristaps Porzingis | 3.9 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 7 |
| Jaylen Brown | 33.8 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Jayson Tatum | 8.9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Jrue Holiday | 10.3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Payton Pritchard | 2.2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Derrick White | 4.4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Sam Hauser | 2.2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
There are some noticeable data points:
- Whenever Doncic had either Celtics center on him, he took advantage. Against his former teammate, Kristaps Porzingis, the MVP runner-up got shots up, mostly of the three-point variety. As Viray notes, with Porzingis in the drop on pick-and-roll actions, Doncic happily went to his stepback from behind the arc, hitting 3-of-4. However, with Horford playing up to the level of the screens, Doncic drove a little more, but still only made 1-of-8 shots.
Luka Doncic when 38-year-old Al Horford was the primary defender in Game 1, per NBA tracking:
1-8 FG, 0-4 3PT, 1 BLK, 2 PTS
Mavs were 5-19 FG (26.3 FG%) vs Horford overall. Team-high 13 shots contested, 3 deflections. pic.twitter.com/fPAzSxII7q
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) June 7, 2024
- After the game, Luka spoke about the Celtics’ defense limiting his playmaking opportunities, saying, “they mostly play one-on-one. They don’t send a lot of help. So, that’s why.” Jaylen Brown took on the bulk of those one-on-one responsibilities, covering him nearly 50% of the time. Doncic weights in at 6’7, 230-pounds and Brown 6’6, 223-pounds, so it’s an even matchup in terms of sheer size. However, Brown’s speed and strength neutralized Doncic for a night. Twice, Brown picked his pocket at half court and had two emphatic slams on the other end. Luka did make 4-of-6 against him, but considering how much time Brown spent on him, Boston will live with those attempts.
It didn’t end on defense. On the other end of the court, they made him work, too. With Doncic as the primary defender, the Celtics were 9-for-17. Doncic had his moments in what I would call “lazy rec league defense” — the flop charge on Brown, two reach around strips of Tatum and Porzingis — but otherwise, Boston made him work. Here’s a great cut from Eric Shapiro:
Luka is going to have to play *much* better defensively on the perimeter if Dallas is going to win this series.
He gave up too many blow by’s that directly led to baskets or put the Mavericks in rotation: pic.twitter.com/d3C6DJFAVD
— Eric Shapiro (@eric_shap) June 7, 2024
It’s death by a thousand body blows. At Saturday’s media availability, Doncic vowed to be more aggressive, blaming team-wide low energy for the slow start. When the Pistons’ Ausar Thompson asked about playing so freely and having fun, he responded, “I just try and have fun. That’s the game I love. That’s the game that gets me paid. There’s nothing better in the world than playing basketball for your job. I’m just trying to enjoy it.”
After Game 1, it’s hard to imagine that he’s enjoying the Finals so far.
