Final: Celtics 105, Mavs 98 - Celtics defense dominates again

BOSTON CELTICS vs. DALLAS MAVERICKS

NBA Finals, Game 2

Celtics lead 1-0

TD Garden, 8:00 p.m. - ESPN

Line: Boston -6.5

INJURIES

Boston: None

Dallas: Luka Doncic (QUESTIONABLE, Knee/ankle)

SERIES

Game 1: Celtics 107-Mavericks 89

The teams went back and forth to start the game, but Boston went on a monster 25-7 run fueled by Kristaps Porzingis and great overall defense, to take a 17-point lead after one. Jaylen Brown helped push the lead as high as 29 before a late flurry cut it to 21 at the half. The Mavs went on a huge run to cut the lead all the way down to eight, but Boston answered, behind some amazing defense by Brown, to get it back up to 20. It got up to 25 in the fourth, and Boston cruised from there.   

THINGS I’M LOOKING FOR

1: Discipline: This is the word of the day. The Celtics were incredibly disciplined on both ends, but especially defensively. They need to keep that same level no matter what is happening in Game 2. It’s unreasonable to expect another tough shooting night from Kyrie Irving and Doncic, but the Celtics can’t overreact and adjust to the ball going in. They know what they want to live with and they're going to have to keep that discipline throughout the game, even if the things they're willing to live with lead to points.

2: Porzingis’ shooting: He hit some tough shots to fuel Boston’s first quarter run. Can he punish smaller guys in the high post with the same efficiency? He needs to be an effective outlet for Tatum and Brown, and if he’s still hot from the free throw line and beyond, it’ll be a long night for Dallas. 

3: Attack Dereck Lively: This is the piece to pull that topples the Jenga tower. Daniel Gafford isn’t mobile enough to be everywhere he needs to be and Maxi Kleber isn’t enough of an offensive threat right now, so they're putting a lot on Lively to move the ball and create some chaos. If Boston can get him back into foul trouble early, they can keep the Dallas offense on the clunky side. 

Follow along with my thoughts as the game goes on. They’ll show up below and in the comments section, so hop in and share your opinion as well.