The Boston Celtics entered the 2024 NBA Finals viewed as the heavy favorite to end up taking home the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. They certainly operated like it in Game 1 against the Dallas Mavericks, as Boston pummeled the Western Conference champions in a one-sided affair that ended in a 107-89 Celtics victory.
The Boston Celtics continue to make it rain from deep
One of the big reasons for the Celtics’ win in the series opener was their outside shooting, which was simply terrific. Boston shot 16/42 from behind the arc. The Celtics’ outside shooting has been a reliable weapon for them not just in the playoffs but back in the regular season as well. With a roster filled with shooters that allow them to parade five-out lineups on the floor, the Celtics have truly made it for their opponents to contain them.
Via Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer:
When the Celtics take at least 50% of their shots from 3, they are now 35-4 on the season (including 6-0 in the playoffs). That’s a 74-win pace. In Game 1 against the Mavericks, 42 of Boston’s 82 total shots were 3s. Made 16 of them. Dallas made only 7/27.
Each Boston starter in Game 1 had at least two 3-pointers, and that’s including Al Horford, who hit two triples on five 3-point attempts. Horford could move back to his usual bench role in Game 2 with Kristaps Porzingis looking healthy again, but that kind of move still wouldn’t affect the Celtics’ ability to shoot threes, as the Latvian is also known to be a quality stretch big man. He scored 20 points with two 3-pointers in Game 1.
The Celtics’ identity includes their no-nonsense approach to launching threes. So far in the playoffs, they have a 47.6 percent 3-point frequency rate – the highest among all 16 teams in the postseason. They are also making 14.7 3-pointers per game in the playoffs on a 36.9 3-point percentage.
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