At least one Duke basketball pro had to prevail in Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night. That NBA Blue Devil was superstar forward Jayson Tatum, as his Celtics secured a 107-89 home win.
But Tatum wasn’t exactly lights-out in the efficiency department, shooting 6-for-16 from the field and committing six turnovers. However, the 26-year-old is one step closer to his first title and still managed to produce what would be an impressive stat line for most: 16 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, one block, and only one foul in 42 minutes on the floor.
As for the Mavericks’ pair of former Duke basketball one-and-done talents, rookie center Dereck Lively II finished with two points and five rebounds but racked up five fouls, and veteran guard Kyrie Irving struggled to the tune of only 12 points in 37 minutes of action while shooting 6-for-19 from the field and 0-for-5 beyond the arc without ever getting to the foul line.
CBS Sports’ Colin Ward-Henninger summed up the concern regarding Irving, a 2016 NBA champ alongside LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers who later played two seasons in Boston:
“While the kneejerk reaction may be to chalk this up to a rare off night for the dynamic guard, it continues a trend that’s particularly alarming for the Mavericks and their fans: Irving hasn’t won a game against Boston in over three years. That’s right, Irving has now lost 11 consecutive games against his former team, including the regular season and playoffs, with the last win coming in Game 5 of the 2021 first-round series between Boston and the Brooklyn Nets.”
Maybe his subpar averages and shooting percentages across the past 11 games against Boston — roughly 20 points per game on 41 percent shooting from the field and 28 percent from downtown — represent a mental hurdle. Perhaps, as Ward-Henninger proposed, the eight-time All-Star’s struggles versus the Celtics of late are due to “Boston’s incredible defensive length and versatility.”
Whatever the explanation, Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II, and the Mavericks look to bounce back and steal homecourt advantage when they face Jayson Tatum and the Celtics in Boston at 8 p.m. ET Sunday, again with Duke basketball treasure JJ Redick on the call as part of the lead ABC/ESPN broadcast team.
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