Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving led the Mavericks into the NBA Finals with memorable scoring outbursts, earning some praise for where they rank as a backcourt duo historically along the way. With those scoring outbursts, the main question entering the NBA Finals seems to be just how will the Celtics slow down or stop the Mavericks high-scoring duo.
However, Joe Mazzulla doesn’t view the Celtics’ matchup with the Mavericks that way. The Celtics coach called out the narrative that the series will come down to whether Boston stops or limits Doncic and Irving offensively.
Instead, Mazzulla thinks how his team responds to Dallas’ scoring outbursts is the most important factor, acknowledging that Doncic and Irving are likely to score throughout the series.