Luka Doncic became the first player since Tim Duncan in 1999 to register a 30-point double-double in his NBA Finals debut on Thursday. However, the Slovenian had a playoff career-low one assist.
So, how did the Celtics render the Mavericks guard — who entered the game leading the postseason in total assists — a playmaking non-factor in Game 1 of the NBA Finals?
It’s simple: they refused to blitz him with double teams and relied upon their star defenders Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday to stay in front of him. And every time Doncic ran a pick-and-roll, the Celtics switched instead of helping off defenders and giving him passing lanes to find open shooters. The strategy worked like a charm.
Doncic was admittedly caught off guard by Boston’s defensive scheme.
“They mostly play one-on-one. That’s why,” Doncic said when asked about his 1-assist night.
Below is a fine example of Brown guarding Doncic one-on-one and shutting down his passing game.
By shutting down Doncic’s passes, Boston also turned Dallas’ role players into non-factors. The Mavs managed only nine assists — the fourth lowest by any team in a Finals game in the shot clock era — and not surprisingly, their 89 points were their lowest-scoring output of the postseason. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla praised his defenders for embracing the assignment of guarding Doncic and Kyrie Irving mano-a-mano, thereby taking away Mavericks’ ball movement.
“Everybody has to take on the challenge of guarding those guys,” Mazzulla told reporters. “They’re an amazing team and they put a ton of pressure on you with their ability to score. Everyone is going to take their matchup personal, have personal pride in individual defense.”
The Celtics gambled by not sending double teams to stop Doncic. Would the strategy work again in Game 2? Would Mavs coach Jason Kidd make the requisite adjustments? A game of chess ensues.
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