2024 NBA Playoff Update
Game 2 of the NBA Finals in Boston was a whole lot more competitive than Game 1 had been.
Yet at the end of the game, the result was the same. The Celtics won, proving just how tough they are at home in Boston. They held on against a tough and determined Dallas team to win, and capture a commanding 2-0 series lead.
However, the series will now shift to Dallas. The Mavericks will get a chance to get away from the hostile crowd and tough environment that they faced in the first two games in Boston. Now, they will be in the familiar confines of their home arena, with a friendly crowd showing them support.
Will it be enough?
So far, the Celtics have just looked incredible, especially on defense.
Luka Dončić has an impressive performance. He scored 32 points and had a triple-double, despite having suffered an injury which visibly impaired him. Yet, the sense that most people watching the game got was that he was not receiving enough help from his Dallas teammates. As incredibly well as Dončić played, he clearly cannot beat the Celtics on his own. Kyrie Irving, the other big star for the Mavs, just seemed unable to make things go at the most crucial moments. Nor did any other members of the Mavericks, which led to them losing a game that they actually had a chance in.
Jayson Tatum had a bit of a better day this time around than he had in Game 1, scoring 18 points. Jaylen Brown, the other big star on the Celtics, scored 21 points, and also played a part in the huge block in the game's final minute or so that helped to secure the win for Boston. Right now, he might be on track to win the NBA MVP Award.
Really, Drue Holiday was the standout for the Celtics on this night. Holiday led the team in scoring with 26 points, and also had 11 rebounds. Like Kristaps Porziņģis stepped up for Boston in Game 1, Holiday stepped up in a big way to really help the Celtics clinch the win in this one.
All of this helped to allow Boston to take a commanding 2-0 series lead. Historically, teams that went up 2-0 in the NBA Finals have gone on to win 31 of the 36 times that it happened. The last time that a team overcame an 0-2 deficit in the NBA Finals to win was not long ago, when the Milwaukee Bucks did it against the Phoenix Suns in 2021. Other teams that have managed the feat were the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers, the 2006 Miami Heat, the 1977 Trailblazers, and the 1969 Celtics. So the Mavs will have their work cut out for them, in hopes of joining truly elite company.
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