Lessons from a Finals Rematch

A special kind of Mavericks-Boston game observations

Photo by Sam Hodde / Getty Images

Man, do these injuries suck.

In the preview, I opted for a different format, pivoting away from the usual structure due to the wave of injuries, and instead focused on key players and what they could prove in this Finals rematch.

Unfortunately, the game delivered another blow—a 122-107 loss to the Celtics—and even worse, another injury. Maxi Kleber’s broken leg left even the normally composed Jason Kidd sounding broken and demoralized.

The Finals already showed that Boston is a tough matchup, even for a much healthier Mavericks team. So, the focus of this recap will be circling back to the key player storylines from the preview. Did the players highlighted there give us anything new to consider when it comes to going up against the highest possible bar—the NBA Champs?

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Today’s notes:

1. Celtics clear identity vs. Jason Kidd grasping for straws

2. The Mavericks’ half-court problems against the Celtics

3. Kyrie Irving: no room for a breakthrough against the Celtics (🎞️VIDEO)

4. P.J. Washington: struggles against taller resistance

5. Grimes hope, Klay concerns

Bonus point: Daniel Gafford stepping up with added responsibility

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1-Celtics clear identity vs. Jason Kidd grasping for straws

Before we get to the players, a couple of words on the state of both teams and how they’ve evolved since the Finals. The Celtics has retained ALL its key pieces and, with Kristaps Porzingis back, is fully healthy. They have a clear identity, doubling down on it by chunking up threes at a historic rate. Joe Mazzulla has the league’s best and most complete starting five, along with key reserves like Al Horford, Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard, and Luke Kornet, all with clear roles and his full trust.

On the other hand, the Mavericks have reshuffled much of their supporting cast around the core of Dončić, Irving, Lively, and Washington, largely to upgrade and better match up with Boston in a potential rematch. However, injuries have derailed any attempt by Jason Kidd to establish consistent lineups or build trust in any of the non-core players. This game was another reminder that Kidd fully trusts only the core four.

2-The Mavericks’ half-court problems against the Celtics

It’s easy and overly simplistic to just point to the math problem: the Mavericks took 30 fewer three-point attempts (?!), Boston made 12 more threes, and with an edge like that, winning in today’s NBA feels almost impossible, especially when you add a big 7-turnover gap in Boston’s favor.

The reason for that margin is the Mavericks’, even with Dončić struggle to score against a switch-first defense that aggressively shrinks the floor. It forces the stars to operate in tight, almost football-like pockets against three defenders and leaves only small gaps for others to exploit, leading to almost no rotations and very few clean spot-up looks from beyond the arc. Without Dončić and with most of the supporting cast struggling to attack the gaps, the Mavericks couldn’t generate good offense in half-court settings. All of their success came when they played with pace and attacked early.

On the other end, Dallas faced a constant cross-match size disadvantage, exacerbated by Kidd's decision to prioritize more ball-handling with Dinwiddie and Hardy over the defense and length provided by Prosper and Edwards in previous games. Like in the OKC game, Kidd tried to compensate for the defensive shortcomings by using a zone defense for extended periods. However, Boston, being a much better shooting team, punished every breakdown and miscommunication—and there were far too many of those.

3-Kyrie Irving: no room for a breakthrough against the Celtics

Now, getting to the players and their points to prove, let’s start with the most obvious one. Irving didn’t have the breakthrough, redemption game against the Celtics we’ve all been waiting for. He finished with 22 points on 11-of-23 shooting, 0-of-3 from three, and 3 turnovers.

To be fair, with Dončić out, the Celtics’ full attention was on making things as difficult as possible for Irving, treating everyone else as a secondary concern. Their defensive strategy was clear: make Irving work for everything. As you'll see in the video breakdown, Boston defended every Irving pick-and-roll with three players, sometimes even four, forcing him into plenty of tough spots and difficult shots. Irving made some of those, but the Celtics kept him in check by not giving up any easy looks apart from a couple in transition.

4-P.J. Washington: struggles against taller resistance

The key player to change the dynamic of the Celtics’ defense and potentially force Mazzulla into adjustments is Washington, with his ability to attack smaller defenders on drives and in the post. He started aggressively, driving downhill early with mixed results—getting to the line for 11 free-throw attempts but also forcing some unbalanced finishes in the paint, reminiscent of the Finals, resulting in a 4-of-13 shooting night.

Without Dončić, there was no need for unorthodox matchups we saw in the Finals, so Washington was primarily defended by bigger players rather than guards. But Washington's finishing and three-point shooting against the Celtics' defense didn’t prove there was a big improvement in the process from June.

5-Grimes hope, Klay concerns

In my preview, I noted that the new version of the supporting cast would need to prove more adept than their predecessors—Derrick Jones Jr., Tim Hardaway Jr., and Josh Green—at attacking the small gaps the Celtics leave open when shrinking so aggressively against Dončić and Irving.

Naji Marshall was unavailable to make his case, while Klay Thompson, Spencer Dinwiddie, Quentin Grimes, and Jaden Hardy all struggled to capitalize in the first half. Grimes, who missed all three of his somewhat out-of-control, herky-jerky drive attempts and went scoreless in the first half, exploded for 20 points in the second half. He showcased the combination of dribbling, driving, and shooting needed to succeed against an elite team like the Celtics.

Dinwiddie, Thompson, and Hardy—apart from a few late transition finishes—proved to be mostly ineffective. We know Dinwiddie has the skill to score, even against a team like the Celtics, but realistically, you might get one, maybe two efficient games from him in a potential series. That’s why he was brought in to be a backup, not a lead guard.

Thompson’s struggles are more concerning. He can’t create off the dribble or score on the drive against top-level Celtics defenders. With Boston’s switch-heavy defense, he ended up with just four field goal attempts in 26 minutes. To get Thompson more and better looks, Dončić would need to dominate and score like he did in the first two games of the Finals, forcing the Celtics to send even more help his way.

Bonus point

Daniel Gafford stepping up with added responsibility: Gafford was another player with a point to prove, given his past struggles against 5-Out, floor-stretching offenses. With Lively out and Kleber struggling—he was 0-for-6 and a -19 in just 11 minutes before his unfortunate injury—Gafford was under even more pressure have a strong game. And to his credit, Gafford has stepped up in a big way since Lively began playing a bigger and more extended role.

Last night, he still had some breakdowns, often a couple of seconds too slow on rotations, while primarily playing a roaming role as he was matched up with Holiday rather than a big. It’s not reasonable to expect Gafford to evolve into Draymond Green-type of defensive playmaker in that role, so some breakdowns are bound to happen. However, if he compensates by being aggressive on the offensive glass (grabbing 8 offensive rebounds) and staying active around the rim—the best way to punish the Celtics’ switching—he more than does his share of the job. Gafford finished with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks, marking his fourth double-double in the last six games.