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Mavs blow chance in Game 2, face even tougher road

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Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks reacts during the third quarter against the Boston Celtics in Game Two of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 09, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images/AFP

Game 2 provided Dallas with a huge chance.

The Mavericks could have flown back to Dallas with the home-court advantage in the NBA Finals. They could have tied the title series at a game apiece. They could have put the heavily favored Boston Celtics into what would have been their most precarious spot of the season.

Instead, they’re down 2-0 — and now the odds of pulling this off just got a whole lot longer.

They missed eight free throws, gave up 21 points off turnovers, didn’t take advantage of an uncharacteristic 3-point clankfest from the Celtics – 10 for 39 — plus wasted another big effort from Luka Doncic on a night where he battled through ankle, rib and knee issues and still did whatever he wanted. They were better than they were in Game 1. That said, they still weren’t good enough. Final score: Boston 105, Dallas 98, and the Celtics are now two wins away from what would be their record-setting 18th NBA championship.

“At the end of the day, they are better than all the teams we’ve played,” Dallas’ PJ Washington said. “It’s the finals, and we’ve just got to be better. … Their record says that they have been the best team all year. They have two superstars, they have a lot of great role players and they play team ball. So, we’ve just got to be better.”

READ: NBA Finals: Luka Doncic triple-double not enough for Mavericks

Or else.

The only path for Dallas to capture this title now is to win four of the next five games, against a team that hasn’t come close to losing four games in a five-game stretch at any point this season. The Celtics are 14-2 in these playoffs, 78-20 overall this season and the only way that their fingerprints aren’t on the Larry O’Brien Trophy before long is for them to come completely apart.

Which isn’t likely. Possible, sure. Likely, no.

“The journey to this point has been great, but we still know being up 2-0 means nothing,” said Celtics guard Jrue Holiday, who led Boston with 26 points in Game 2. “Job’s not done. We have to do whatever it takes.”

Doncic had the 50th known triple-double in NBA Finals history — 32 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists. He also had eight turnovers and went just 4 for 8 from the foul line, two reasons why he pointed the finger of blame directly at himself after the game.

“At the end of the day, we’ve got to make some more shots,” Doncic said. “I think my turnovers and my missed free throws cost us the game. So, I’ve got to do way better in those two categories. But at the end of the day, we’ve got to make shots to win the game.”

READ: NBA Finals: Celtics hold off Mavericks for 2-0 lead

Dallas tied a season-low with six 3-pointers, but that wasn’t what the Mavericks should lament most when they review how the game went from beyond the arc. They were 11-1 in these playoffs when holding teams below 38% on 3s; make it 11-2 now, since Boston shot 25.6% in Game 2 and won. The Celtics aren’t likely to struggle that much from deep too often.

“Every game we lose, it’s a missed opportunity for us,” Doncic said.

Dallas was right there, which will make the loss hurt even more. It still took a pair of unlikely plays by the Celtics — a 34-foot, beat-the-clock 3-pointer by Payton Pritchard to end the third quarter, and a chasedown block by Derrick White in the final minute of the fourth on a play where it seemed like Washington got fouled on a dunk try — for Boston to wrap Game 2 up.

“That’s what Payton Pritchard does,” White said of the deep heave.

In the biggest moments, Boston found a way. That all said, it’s not over. Comebacks from 2-0 down in the NBA Finals aren’t unprecedented.

The last team to lead the finals 2-0 was Phoenix in 2021; the Suns didn’t win another game in that series against Giannis Antetokounmpo, Holiday and Milwaukee. Golden State led Cleveland 2-0 in 2016; Cleveland won in seven, something that Kyrie Irving will surely remind his Dallas teammates of now since he hit the 3-pointer that basically sealed that title for LeBron James and the Cavs. And nobody needs to tell Dallas that 2-0 leads guarantee nothing; the Mavericks had that lead against Dwyane Wade and Miami in 2006, the city was planning parade routes, and the Heat won the next four games for their first championship.

“We are not down,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “We’re positive. This is a group that believes. We didn’t get an opportunity to get a split or win two here on the road. Now Boston held serve. Now we’ve got to go home and hold serve.”

To his credit, he made it all sound very simple. But he knows the task is much harder now.

Carlos Alcaraz overcomes Zverev to win first French Open title

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Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after winning his men’s singles final match against Germany’s Alexander Zverev on Court Philippe-Chatrier on day fifteen of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros Complex in Paris on June 9, 2024. (Photo by EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP)

Carlos Alcaraz fought back to defeat Alexander Zverev in a five-set French Open final on Sunday and become the youngest man to win Grand Slam titles on all three surfaces.

The 21-year-old battled cramps to recover from 2-1 down in sets and win a gripping contest 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 after four hours and 19 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier.

“Something that I dreamt about, being in this position, since I was started playing tennis, since I was five, six years old. So it’s a great, great feeling,” said Alcaraz.

READ: Carlos Alcaraz embraces ‘suffering’ to reach French Open final

Alcaraz adds the Roland Garros crown to the Wimbledon title he won against Novak Djokovic last year and the 2022 US Open.

He will head to the Australian Open next year with the chance to become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam.

Fourth seed Zverev, who settled a court case in Germany two days ago over domestic abuse allegations, is still waiting for a maiden major title.

He had also lost his only previous Slam final in five sets, when he blew a two-set lead against Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open.

Zverev had high hopes of finally getting over the line — he has also lost six Slam semi-finals — but Alcaraz was too strong in the key moments as he levelled their head-to-head record at 5-5.

“It’s been amazing. The atmosphere, the support has been amazing,” said the 27-year-old.

Alcaraz said before the final he wanted to join the list of men’s players from his country, including his idol Rafael Nadal, to win the Roland Garros title, and he celebrated becoming the eighth Spanish champion by falling to the clay with his head in his hands in disbelief.

“Congratulations Carlos for this immense victory! Wonderful! Very happy for your successes! Vamos,” tweeted Nadal.

Zverev’s nervy start

Zverev endured a miserable start, double-faulting on the first two points of the match en route to being broken in the opening game.

But Alcaraz was not immune to the nerves of a maiden French Open final, framing a regulation forehand into the stands and then also double-faulting as he gifted the break straight back.

The Spaniard did not take too long to find his groove, though, breaking to love in the fifth game on his way to pocketing the opener.

READ: Zverev beats Ruud to set up French Open final with Carlos Alcaraz

The youngster had to save three break points to hold in a 10-minute first game of the second set, but slipped 3-2 behind when he failed to stave off two more break points as another forehand sailed into the crowd.

Suddenly Zverev had a spring in his step and Alcaraz was reduced to scrambling at the back of the court, falling a double-break down with a double-fault.

Zverev wrapped up an ultimately one-sided second set with a hold to love.

The German made it three successive love holds with two more early in the third set, before Alcaraz celebrated coming out of a tricky service game unscathed with a fist pump as he edged 3-2 ahead, despite having been largely on the back foot.

Serving into an increasingly strong breeze, Zverev was caught out by an Alcaraz return that crept over the net and the Spaniard went on to grab a break to love.

But he could not serve out the set as a rasping Zverev passing shot secured a break back.

That failure to take control of the match seemed to temporarily break Alcaraz’s spirit, as he ended up losing five games on the spin to concede the set.

Crucial line call saves Alcaraz

Alcaraz would not go down without a fight, though, breaking for a 2-0 advantage in the fourth with a magnificent curling winner on the run.

Just seconds before, Zverev had been angrily disputing a line call which was clearly correct, drawing jeers from the crowd.

The German was rattled and his serve started to desert him, with Alcaraz racing through the fourth set to force a decider despite having to take a medical time-out to have treatment for apparent cramp at 4-1.

Zverev had won 10 of his previous 11 five-setters at Roland Garros but handed Alcaraz a break on a platter in the third game of the fifth.

Alcaraz stuttered himself, falling 0-40 down in the next game.

He appeared to have double-faulted on the second break point, but the chair umpire overruled the line judge’s call of out, despite Zverev’s angry protests, before Hawkeye replays showed it was out.

Alcaraz went on to hold and it proved to be a pivotal moment in the match.

Zverev fell a double-break down in game seven as Alcaraz delighted the fans with an outrageous flicked winner before crushing a forehand onto the line.

He wrapped up a historic victory with a booming forehand that Zverev could not get back.

Kings’ Montessori beats NU for Shakey’s Girls volleyball bronze

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Kings’ Montessori School during the Shakey’s Girls Volleyball Invitational League against National University-Nazareth School.–Photo from SGVIL

MANILA, Philippines — Sisters Shekaina and Shahanna Lleses powered the Kings’ Montessori School past National University-Nazareth School, 25-18, 24-26, 25-23, 25-22, to bring home the bronze medal of the Shakey’s Girls Volleyball Invitational League (GVIL) on Sunday at Adamson Gym.

Shekaina unleashed a game-high 28 points off 25 attacks and three aces, while her sister Shahanna backstopped her with 14 points to stun the UAAP runner-up in one hour and 57 minutes.

“It’s very heartwarming to see these kids [win against] top school NU. They worked hard for it and this bronze is the result of their hardships and sacrifices,” said KMS assistant coach Glenn Gomez, attributing their victory to head coach Onyok Getigan, who is in Japan for Farm Fresh’s training camp.

READ: UAAP rivals arrange KO semis in Shakey’s Girls volleyball

“This is for coach Onyok. This result is because of his knowledge and guidance. He even called us from Japan to talk to the players.”

Aiana Jumawan ran the plays as Justine Decena chipped in seven points, while Kriska Gindap and Mhyne Escote added six points each.

Kings’ Montessori fell to finalist Bacolod Tay Tung, 25-18, 25-14, 25-23, in the knockout semifinal on Thursday.

NUNS settled for fourth place for the second straight year with Diza Marie Verayo leading the team with 22 points off 19 attacks and three aces. Joseline Salazar contributed 12 points off eight attacks, two blocks, and a pair of aces, while Mardy Tayag added 11 points.

Meanwhile,  Far Eastern University-Diliman cruised past Arellano University, 25-18, 25-23, 25-19, for a fifth-place finish.

READ: New-look California Academy begins Shakey’s Girls title defense

Riane Alonzo led the Lady Baby Tamaraws with 11 points, while Shiela Pascual and Clarisses Loresco added 10 points each, combining for 18 of FEU-Diliman’s 38 attack points.

“I’m happy that they brought out their A game. They just needed a little more push and better communication inside the court,” said FEU coach Joanne Bunag.

Samantha Maranan was the lone bright spot for the Lady Braves with 15 points.

Shane Reterta poured in 27 points as Bethel Academy College overcame  Lyceum of the Philippines University, 22-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-20, for a seventh-place finish.

Reterta pounded 25 kills and had two aces. Trisha Porto added nine points while Andrea Dinglasan and Jerrize Armintia had combined 11 markers for the Bethelites, who had a good run in their first GVIL foray.

Philip Gancia and Charle Rutaquio posted 14 and 12 points, respectively, but weren’t enough to save the Junior Lady Pirates. 

Adamson caps dominant stint with Shakey’s Girls volleyball crown

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Adamson celebrates during the Shakey’s Girls volleyball final. Photo from SGVIL

MANILA, Philippines — Adamson stamped its class to rule the Shakey’s Girls Volleyball Invitational League after dominating Bacolod Tay Tung, 25-20, 25-5, 25-22, in the winner-take-all final on Sunday at Adamson Gym.

The Lady Baby Falcons had another perfect campaign, sweeping all of their six matches in the SGVIL capped by a quick win over the reigning Palarong Pambansa champions.

Adamson also swept the UAAP Season 86, winning all of its 14 games.

READ: Kings’ Montessory beats NU for Shakey’s Girls volleyball bronze

Shaina Nitura emerged as the tournament MVP, leaving a winning legacy with another championship before she moves up to college with the Lady Falcons for Season 87 next year.

“It’s not just special for me. It’s special for the team, coaches, our parents and the Adamson community,” said the graduating high school sensation.

“This is a very good opportunity for my teammates, who will be left. They gained confidence and courage for the next leagues, especially for (UAAP) Season 87.”

Nitura delivered 10 points off eight attacks and two aces in her final high school game.

Lhouriz Tuddao led the collective effort of Adamson with 11 points highlighted by five blocks, while Abegail Segui was also instrumental with 10 points.

READ: UAAP rivals arrange KO semis in Shakey’s Girls volleyball

“I told them to renew the right mindset, whenever they are in doubt with what they do so that they can have a better flow of movement,” said Adamson coach JP Yude.

The Baby Lady Falcons, who convincingly took the opening set, unleashed a 14-3 start in the second frame before scoring seven straight points for a 21-4 spread after Nitura’s ace en route to a two-set advantage.

The Thunderbolts’ five points in the second came from the home team’s four service errors and only converted one attack point.

Bacolod Tay Tung refused to play a lopsided championship game, starting the third with a 10-6 lead before Segui scored back-to-back kills to take a 11-10 advantage and force a see-saw battle.

Adamson pulled away after Tuddao’s big block for a 23-20 lead before Nitura’s attack error. Libero Mariana Pineda’s lucky push put the Baby Lady Falcons at match point, 24-21, followed by Segui’s service error.

Setter Felicity Sagaysay nailed the championship-clinching 1-2 play to end the game in just 70 minutes.

It was still a great stint for Bacolod Tay Tung, which improved to silver after a bronze finish last year.

The Thunderbolts won five games before losing the championship, where no one scored in double figures with Rhose Almendralejo leading the way with seven points.

Meanwhile, Shakey’s and organizer Athletic Events and Sports Management Group Inc. (ACES) will stage the Shakey’s Super League National Invitationals in July, where the top three UAAP and NCAA teams will compete against college teams from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The third edition of the preseason championship, featuring 10 NCAA squads and eight UAAP teams, takes place later this year.

Ex-LSU player Josh Maravich, son of NBA legend, dead at 42

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FILE – LSU senior Josh Maravich, left, shakes hands with coach John Brady as his mother, Jackie Maravich, center, watches during Senior Day events before LSU’s NCAA college basketball game against Vanderbilt on March 5, 2005, at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La. (AP Photo/Bill Feig, File)

COVINGTON, Louisiana — Former LSU basketball player Josh Maravich, son of late Hall of Fame basketball player Pete Maravich, has died at age 42, the university announced Saturday night.

He died at home on Friday, the LSU statement said. No cause of death has been released.

Josh Maravich was a reserve for LSU, which plays home games in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, from the 2001-02 to 2004-05 seasons under then-coach John Brady.

READ: Bill Walton, Hall of Fame player, dies of cancer at 71

For the younger Maravich, it was a childhood dream to play for LSU, where his father set the men’s NCAA Division I scoring record of 3,667 points between 1967 and 1970.

“I wanted to come here for my dad to make him proud,” Josh Maravich said in a 2005 article in The Daily Reveille, the LSU student newspaper. “I knew I wasn’t going to be a star player, but for me being a walk-on was what I always wanted to do.”

Pete Maravich was a prolific scorer during an NBA career that was cut short in 1980 by lingering effects of a major knee injury a couple years prior.

READ: Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojević dies after heart attack

In 1988, at age 40, he died from a heart condition that had gone undetected.

Earlier this year, he was back in the headlines when his Division I scoring mark — which went unmatched by any men’s or women’s player for more than half a century — was surpassed by Iowa star Caitlin Clark (3,951 points).

In 2022, when LSU unveiled a bronze statue of Pete Maravich outside its basketball facility, sculptor Brian Hanlon credited Josh Maravich and his older brother Jaeson Maravich with the idea to depict their father — who was known for his showmanship and creativity — making a behind-the-back pass.

Iga Swiatek cruises to third straight French Open title

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Poland’s Iga Swiatek celebrates with the trophy after winning against Italy’s Jasmine Paolini at the end of women’s singles final match on Court Philippe-Chatrier on day fourteen of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros Complex in Paris on June 8, 2024. (Photo by Emmanuel Dunand / AFP)

Poland’s Iga Swiatek extended her French Open reign on Saturday as she thrashed Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-1 in the final to win a third successive Roland Garros title.

World number one Swiatek dominated Italian 12th seed Paolini, a first-time Grand Slam finalist, needing just 68 minutes to capture a fourth crown in five years in Paris.

Swiatek has now won all five Grand Slam finals she has contested. Her other victory came at the 2022 US Open.

READ: Iga Swiatek beats Coco Gauff to reach French Open final

She is the fourth woman in the Open era to lift the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen four times — after Justine Henin, Chris Evert and Steffi Graf.

“It’s amazing to be here. I love this place. I wait every year to come back,” said Swiatek, who clicked into gear after saving a match point against Naomi Osaka in the second round.

“I was almost out of the tournament,” she said. “I also needed to believe this one is going to be possible, it’s been a really emotional tournament.”

Swiatek becomes only the third woman to win the tournament three years running. Henin, in 2005-07, was the last to do so. Monica Seles also achieved the feat as a teenager at the start of the 1990s.

At 23, her four Roland Garros titles are the same number Rafael Nadal, the record 14-time men’s champion, had at the same age.

READ: Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff sprint into French Open quarterfinal

For the 28-year-old Paolini it was a sorry conclusion, at least in singles, to an otherwise brilliant fortnight in the French capital.

The world number 15 had won a total of four matches in 16 Grand Slam appearances before advancing to the fourth round of the Australian Open in January.

While she fell short of emulating compatriot Francesca Schiavone, who won the 2010 French Open, Paolini could yet finish on a winning note with her and doubles partner Sara Errani through to Sunday’s final.

“I have to say congratulations to you, Iga,” said Paolini. “I think to play you here is the toughest challenge in this sport.”

“It was tough, but it was lots of fun,” she added.

Paolini’s transformation this season into a player capable of challenging for the biggest prizes stemmed in part from quashing the mindset she needed “a miracle” to beat the best in the sport.

Yet the odds were heavily stacked against her going into the final, with Swiatek unbeaten at Roland Garros since a 2021 quarter-final loss to Maria Sakkari.

Swiatek takes charge

Riding a 20-match winning streak in Paris, and a winner of 18 straight matches this year after titles in Madrid and Rome, Swiatek quickly set about her business.

She powered an ace to hold in the opening game and had Paolini backpedaling down break point, but the Italian ground out a gutsy hold and then broke Swiatek when the Pole flayed a forehand long.

That triggered a searing riposte from Swiatek, who broke to love to get back on serve and then surged 4-2 in front after Paolini coughed up a costly double-fault.

“I got broken at the beginning, so it wasn’t maybe perfect, but I think the level was pretty high,” said Swiatek.

She had her opponent constantly scurrying around the court and the errors began to stack up for Paolini, who conceded the first set with a weak groundstroke into the net.

With Swiatek firmly in the ascendancy, Paolini looked lost for answers as the top seed oozed confidence and repeatedly took control of the rallies.

Had it not been for an astonishing recovery against Osaka in the second round, Swiatek would have suffered her earliest exit at the French Open.

Instead that fright served to ignite her title aspirations, reigning Wimbledon and US Open champions — Marketa Vondrousova and Coco Gauff — in particular powerless to stop the Swiatek offensive.

Swiatek had difficulty putting away Karolina Muchova last year when heavily fancied, but there was no such trouble 12 months on as the Pole dismantled Paolini to underline her burgeoning status as the ‘Queen of Clay’.

The three games won by Paolini were the fewest in the final here since Henin obliterated Ana Ivanovic 6-1, 6-2 in 2007, which also coincided with the Belgian’s fourth Roland Garros title in five years.

Long-promised national athletes’ dorm rising soon

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PSC chairman Richard “Dickie” Bachmann attends the PSA Forum. –PSA PHOTO

The Philippine Sports Commission under Richard Bachmann will finally start the long-delayed structure that will house national athletes, a project worth an estimated P100 million which will show how valued the country’s national bets are.

A seven-floor building that will include the dormitories of the athletes plus training venues inside Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila now has the funding, and Bachmann said that public bidding for the project is now open with the PSC hoping to have the groundbreaking in August.

“We have already made the preliminary requirements like soil testing and we hope to have the groundbreaking of the new facility in August,’’ said Bachmann.

The athletes’ living quarters have been a well-documented sorry story, and this is what Bachmann hopes to change.

The concept of building the athletes’ quarters and training venues under one roof inside the historic sports complex began during the administration of the President Benigno Aquino III over a decade ago, but never materialized.

Bachmann expressed gratitude to Sen. Pia Cayetano, who inserted the P100 million in the government sports agency’s general appropriations for this year.

The new structure, according to Bachmann, can house at least 180 national athletes.

Filipinos eye strong showing at Ironman, 70.3 races in Subic

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FILE– John Alcala is among the athletes to watch out for in this year’s Ironman Philippines. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

John Dedeus Alcala leads a determined group of Filipino athletes against a formidable lineup of international competitors in the Ironman Philippines and the IM 70.3 Subic Bay races scheduled for Sunday in Subic.

Alcala and the rest of the competitors will tackle the  3.8-kilometer swim, 180km bike ride, and 42.2km run on a world-class championship course in Subic where slots in the World Championships are at stake.

Among the notable competitors from 54 countries is Filipino bet August Benedicto, who aims to deliver a strong performance in the 11th edition of the IM 70.3 race, which includes a 1.9km swim, 90km bike ride, and 21.1km run.

READ: John Alcala, Ines Santiago rule rainy Ironman

“I’m thrilled to compete here, even though I’m now based in Ireland,” said Benedicto.

Alcala, who triumphed in the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Puerto Princesa in 2022, meanwhile, faces a tougher challenge, notably from 2022 champion Czech contender Petr Lukosz.

Despite missing out on his age-group category in the recent Ironman 70.3 Cebu, Lukosz remains a top contender in the full-distance race.

“It’s all about dreams. I still have a dream to do full Ironman sub 9 hours. I came three minutes short in Arizona,” said Lukosz. “And I told my wife that I will try one day to be in Top 10 in Kona in my age group.”

READ: Tested warriors carry PH fight in Subic Bay Ironman

The Ironman and IM 70.3 age group kick off at 5:45 a.m., with the swim cutoff time set at 70 minutes from the last athlete’s start. The bike and run stages have cutoff times of 5 hours and 30 minutes and 8 hours and 30 minutes, respectively.

The top 25 male triathletes from the full Ironman earn spots in the Kona, Hawaii World Championship from Oct. 22-28. The top 15 female athletes will qualify for the IM World Championship in Nice, France, from Sept. 24-28.

The IM 70.3 Subic Bay offers 45 age-group qualifying slots for the Vinfast IM 70.3 World Championship in Taupo, New Zealand, on Dec. 14-15, with 15 slots reserved for female participants to promote gender equality.

Porzingis a big problem for Mavericks team that cast him off

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Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (8) celebrates a 3-pointer, near Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford (21) during the first half of Game 1 of basketball’s NBA Finals on Thursday, June 6, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

BOSTON — The Mavericks couldn’t figure out how best to utilize big man Kristaps Porzingis during his three seasons in Dallas.

Three years later, the Mavericks now have a big Porzingis problem in the NBA Finals.

Dallas coach Jason Kidd said before the start of the series that he didn’t think Porzingis received nearly enough praise for his ability as a shot blocker and someone who can alter opponents’ shots.

The 7-footer did both in his rousing return to the court in Boston’s 107-89 Game 1 victory, while also providing a scoring punch — 20 points in 21 minutes of action — that jumpstarted the blowout.

It was a full display of his skillset by Boston that was never fully used during Porzingis’ time in Dallas.

READ: NBA FinalPorzingis, Celtics open NBA Finals with big win over Mavericks

“He plays his role,” Kidd said. “I think that’s one of the things that’s underrated about KP. When you ask him to do something, he does it. He doesn’t complain about his role. He goes out there and tries to help his team win.”

What’s more, he did it in his first game back after missing more than a month of action because of a strained right calf muscle.

“Even if I have time off, I can jump right back in and I feel the same way,” Porzingis said. “I know how to do this. That’s it, just having that confidence, going out there whatever, first round or Finals, just going out there with full confidence and giving what I have to the team.”

Kidd got to work with Porzingis for only 34 games during the 2021-22 season before he was dealt at the trade deadline to the Wizards. It was an acknowledgement by the Mavs that his use in a system in which he was asked to split time between posting up and shooting 3-pointers didn’t mesh with star Luka Doncic.

“We’re judged if it works or doesn’t work. That’s just part of the business,” Kidd said.

There’s also the risk that trading away a player of Porzingis’ caliber could eventually come back to bite.

READ: Porzingis plans to be ready for Game 1 of NBA Finals vs Mavericks

In Game 1 it did, with Porzingis igniting an early 17-5 run to help Boston take a 17-point first quarter lead.

But it’s what he did on the defensive end throughout the game that made just as much of an impact.

Two of Porzingis’ three blocks were at the rim — one each on Derrick Jones Jr. and Josh Green. He also blocked a pullup jumper by Kyrie Irving.

Dallas’ primary big men, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively, combined to go 4 for 4 from the field and scored 10 points. But they had no blocks and only eight rebounds.

“He looked pretty healthy to me,” Gafford said of Porzingis. “We have to find a way to match his energy and physicality.”

Porzingis’ presence in the paint also kept Irving and Doncic quiet. The duo, who had devastated opponents this postseason in the pick-and-roll by garnering 78 dunks or layups off their passes, managed only one such play in Game 1.

“That’s what he’s been doing his whole career. He’s a great player. He’s been great for us. The reason why we are here is because of what he’s done,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said of Porzingis. “What he did for us (in Game 1) was big and we need that for the rest of the series.”

If Porzingis keeps this production up, combined with the Celtics’ other weapons, it may be too formidable for Dallas to match.

But the Mavericks are vowing to try.

“We just have to be better. We know that,” Kidd said. “Boston is a really good team, and so we’ve got to be better on Sunday.

Kyrie Irving has rough opener after boos in Boston

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Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving heads toward the bench during the first half of Game 1 of the basketball team’s NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, Thursday, June 6, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

BOSTON — Kyrie Irving dribbled the ball off his foot, and the Boston fans erupted in cheers. He lost his footing on another turnover, and the crowd went wild.

Even just bringing the ball up the court drew boos from the locals, who haven’t forgiven Irving for opting out of his Celtics contract after the 2019 playoffs. If the Mavericks point guard was hoping to quiet the Boston fans with a big game in the opener of the NBA Finals, it didn’t quite go that way.

Irving scored 12 points on 6-for-19 shooting, missing all five 3-point attempts and turning the ball over three times as Boston beat Dallas 107-89 on Thursday night. Irving had two assists, and Dallas had just nine in all; only once has a team had fewer in the NBA Finals in the last 55 years.

READ: Kyrie Irving’s reflective side front and center in run to NBA Finals

It was Irving’s 11th straight loss to the Celtics.

“It’s not the first time I’ve lost in Boston. I don’t want to continue to make it a habit,” Irving said. “They have had my number a little bit.”

An eight-time All-Star who teamed with LeBron James to help Cleveland win the 2016 NBA title, Irving has since come to be known as much for outlandish opinions as anything he did on the court.

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving NBA Finals Celtics vs Mavericks

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, center, and guard Luka Doncic, top left, watch from the bench as the Mavericks trail the Celtics during the second half of Game 1 of basketball’s NBA Finals on Thursday, June 6, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

He blew up his relationship with James when he left Cleveland, and then also left Boston on bad terms. Then the player who questioned whether the earth was round sidelined himself for home games in Brooklyn rather than get a COVID-19 vaccine.

But Irving has been a model teammate in Dallas, and has even admitted to some of his previous shortcomings.

Not that the Boston fans will ever let him forget it.

“Being in this environment, I’m used to it at this point,” Irving said. “Over the past few years in the playoffs here, regular season, it’s been the same thing. I thought I was going to be a little louder in here. But I’m expecting the same things. Going to Game 2, crowd trying to get me out of my element.”

Irving spent two seasons with the Celtics, missing the 2018 playoffs with an injury as Boston made it to the Eastern Conference finals. A healthy Irving the next year was supposed to set the stage for many years of long postseason runs.

But the Celtics lost in the second round the following year, and then Irving – who’d professed his love for the city – opted out of his contracts. His returns since then have been ugly: a fan threw a water bottle at him after a 2021 playoff game; a year later, he cursed at and gave the middle finger to the crowd, for which he was fined.

“It’s not the booing. It’s not the missed shots. It’s more or less just our attitude and how we approach it,” Irving said. “I haven’t had the best games offensively this playoff run. … Now it’s our turn to go through it together. And that’s what makes it exciting.”

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Compared to previous visits, Thursday’s game was tame.

Irving was booed at introductions, and otherwise welcomed with a variety of vulgar chants. But most of the focus was on the game.

And that was the problem.

“I thought he had great looks that just didn’t go down,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. “He had some great looks at 3. He had some great looks in the paint. That’s just part of basketball. Sometimes they go in. Sometimes they don’t. Tonight, they just didn’t go down for Kai or most of the team, and hopefully we get those same shots in Game 2 and we can be better.”

Boston opened a 29-point lead in the first half, only to see Dallas score the last seven points of the second quarter and then go on a 20-6 run early in the third. With a chance to make it a two-possession game, Dereck Lively II traveled, and then Irving did the same.

A missed 3-pointer and a pair of missed shots underneath by Irving helped Boston extend the lead back to 22 points, 86-64.

And the Mavericks were never in the game after that.

“We did cut it to eight and got the rebound and unfortunately came up with a travel,” Kidd said. “A lot of good things in that third and fourth that we can build on. That’s what we talked about after the game and that’s what we have to do.”