BOSTON — As Jayson Tatum sat on the rostrum early Friday morning, slightly greater than an hour after the Boston Celtics’ protection had suffocated the Dallas Mavericks in Recreation 1 of the NBA Finals, he was requested about Boston’s capacity to throw a number of elite particular person defenders at two of the sport’s elite scorers in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

“What makes our group actually particular is we do not have guys that we disguise on protection,” Tatum stated. “Bigs and guards, we change, we tackle the problem of particular person protection, understanding that we have now assist. … If you wish to play on our group you’ve gotten to have the ability to guard.

“And everyone is aware of that.”

A lot this season has been made about Boston’s record-setting offense, and the insistence of Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla to lean into taking pictures as many 3-pointers as doable. However, as Tatum stated, the bedrock precept that has pushed Boston’s success is its unparalleled versatility on protection. It is what powered the Celtics to a 107-89 victory over the Mavericks in Recreation 1 on Thursday night time and it is the identical advantage Boston hopes will result in three extra victories and an NBA-record 18th championship banner.

Between Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the group’s two All-Defensive alternatives — Derrick White and Jrue Vacation — Boston has 4 gamers able to holding up defensively when switched onto nearly anybody, and that features Doncic and Irving. Because of this, the Celtics hardly ever needed to ship double-teams, which Dallas’ guards have feasted on all through the playoffs.

The Celtics blitzed Doncic on solely two pick-and-rolls in Recreation 1, per Second Spectrum’s monitoring knowledge. The LA Clippers, Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves, in the meantime, blitzed him greater than 5 instances per sport.

“I feel it helps so much throwing completely different guys at [Doncic],” Vacation stated, “Completely different guys that play protection otherwise.”

Doncic and the Mavericks have taken groups aside after they’ve needed to ship doubles in these playoffs. Dallas entered the NBA Finals taking pictures 57% off Doncic’s passes in these playoffs, because of him hitting each Dereck Energetic II and Daniel Gafford for lobs and spraying the ball to the perimeter for 3-pointers.

In Recreation 1, nonetheless, Dallas went 1-for-6 on pictures off Doncic’s passes, and had simply 209 whole passes as a group, per Second Spectrum’s monitoring knowledge, the Mavericks’ fewest in any sport (common season or playoffs) since participant monitoring started within the 2013-14 season. Dallas additionally had simply 9 assists, in comparison with 11 turnovers. Doncic completed with 30 factors and 10 rebounds, but in addition had only one help — a profession playoff-low.

And, after Dallas had transformed 54 lob dunks this postseason coming into the Finals — six instances as many because the second-highest group (the Denver Nuggets, with 9) — the Mavericks did not pull off a single one in Recreation 1.

The shortage of ball motion led to loads of struggles for the Mavericks offensively. Boston smothered Dallas’ perimeter shooters, forcing them to go simply 7-for-27 from deep; Mavs apart from Doncic have been a mixed 3-for-15. In the meantime, Boston — which, underneath Mazzulla, all the time makes an effort to win the mathematics by controlling the 3-point line — made 16 3-pointers, making a 27-point edge behind the arc.

Boston additionally clamped down on Irving. The previous Celtic completed the sport simply 6-for-19 from the ground, together with 0-for-5 from 3-point vary, and has now misplaced 11 consecutive video games towards his former group.

Between White and Vacation, Boston has two of the most effective on-ball guard defenders within the league, each of whom have the mix of quickness and agility to hold with Irving — who is perhaps the league’s most dynamic ball-handler. And, at the very least for one sport, that they had the specified affect, as Boston pressured Irving into his worst plus-minus (minus-19) and help totals (2) of the playoffs, whereas taking pictures his second-worst share (32%) from the ground.

When Dallas determined to drive into the paint as an alternative, the Mavericks ran right into a wholesome Kristaps Porzingis, who returned after lacking 5 weeks with a calf pressure. Porzingis completed with three blocks and several other different altered pictures, instantly shoring up the porous rim protection Boston had towards the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers.

“He is been nice for us,” Mazzulla stated of Porzingis. “The explanation why we’re right here is due to what he is performed. It would not matter how lengthy he takes off, the man goes to make performs due to how gifted he’s and the work he places in. What he did for us tonight was large and we’d like that for the remainder of the collection.”

Specifically, Porzingis held up when the Mavericks tried to choose on him on the perimeter. Within the first quarter, the 7-foot-2 large man obtained caught in an isolation scenario towards Irving — the type of spot that will’ve been anticipated to result in Irving gaining a bonus. As an alternative, Porzingis not solely blocked Irving’s shot, however corralled the rebound and began a quick break the opposite method that resulted in a rating towards his former group.

Sam Hauser, in the meantime, was plus-17 in 16 minutes off the bench and helped the Celtics’ protection restrict Doncic to 4-for-12 taking pictures from 3. Different groups might need thrown double-teams at Doncic or Irving to alleviate probably problematic conditions. Boston, although, is a group that’s dedicated to sticking to its ideas — at each ends of the courtroom — and it paid off in a giant method in Recreation 1.

“I assumed our defensive mindset, our defensive execution, our defensive sport plan, our positioning, we had the proper intentions and I assumed we performed actually bodily, for probably the most half, protection with out fouling,” Mazzulla stated.

Boston gained 64 video games within the common season, and had a traditionally dominant plus-11.7 web ranking, proof sufficient this was an elite group with few holes. Nonetheless, coming into this collection, the consensus perception was that Doncic was the most effective participant within the collection.

Nevertheless, all through this season, Boston has talked about how on any given night time a unique participant may very well be the one to step up. And, at completely different factors in these playoffs, every of their key gamers — from Tatum to Brown to White to Vacation to Horford to Porzingis — has taken his flip making an affect on either side of the ball.

And, in doing so, Boston confirmed the way it plans to get three extra victories, and finish its 16-season championship drought.

“Each sport has its personal story,” Brown stated. “We simply obtained to remain prepared, keep composed, and take it one sport at a time. …

“Subsequent sport, I am positive they may make changes. We obtained to have the ability to learn it on the fly and make performs. Guys obtained to step up. We want guys like Sam, Payton [Pritchard], to come back in and step up, JT. Everyone obtained to be able to go.”