GAME 1 BETWEEN the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics was, to be generous, a basketball demolition.
Against the NBA's best defense over the last quarter of the season, the Celtics got just about whatever they wanted offensively. Inside, if and when they probed the paint, they logged a franchise-best 60.4% blow-by rate -- which measures how often a dribbler bursts past his defender, per Second Spectrum -- while also shooting a perfect 15-for-15 from the restricted area.
On the perimeter, there was a similar tale of dominance for the C's.