ESPN’s Doris Burke: the Celtics Need Porzingis to Beat the Mavs in NBA Finals | The Rich Eisen Show

ESPN’s Doris Burke: the Celtics Need Porzingis to Beat the Mavs in NBA Finals | The Rich Eisen Show

so what do you think happens now in the uh in the finals Doris what do you think of this matchup here I am so excited for this Rich you know you have the Boston Celtics who by far have been the most dominant team from the opening tip of the season um the additions of Drew and christops porzingis have fit like a glove and I do think and we can sort of dive into this a little bit but christops has to play for them to win and then you have the Dallas Mavericks who feel to me and I don’t know what your take on this is Rich but you remember Steph Curry’s last title where they had scuffled to start the year but they found their traction and hit their stride at exactly the right time that to me feels like the Dallas Mavericks and we need to give Nico Harrison a ton of credit because early in the year this team had to outscore people and they were going absolutely nowhere no one would have been shocked at the Dallas Mavericks had they stood path you know would have been a first round series exit and now all of a sudden you put this incredible amount of athleticism and defensive toughness around the two best closers in the game and Kyrie and Luca and look out you’ve got a potent Foe for the Boston Celtics so you said a couple things there that I want to I want to touch base on first one you think porzingis has to play for the Celtics to win that’s your belief here it is and Rich and I’ll tell you why because what have gaffard and Lively done for the Dallas Mavericks number one on the defensive end incred incredible Rim protection and the two best players Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown are both Dynamic drivers who make tremendous Rim reads and put a ton of pressure on you and so gaffard and Lively are critical on the defensive end for the Dallas Mavericks they also are vertical threats at the rim for two guys who understand how to attack uh and you know find people so there’s pressure at the rim and there’s Shooters on either side of both guys so that’s their influence on both ends is significant I was just watching the tape of the March matchup between these two teams sorry I just lost my my airpod um I was just watching the the matchup from March when both teams are you know as presently constituted and the most striking thing I saw in that film rich is Chris ABS porzingis picking and popping and pick and roll action and so what does that do that makes Lively and gaffard come out you draw away that Rim protection you draw away that rebounding threat uh because you’ve got to cover I think christops porzingis on threes averages about 27 feet per field goal attempt and uh that was you know it’s my first run through of that matchup on tape but that was the thing that was really striking to me and let’s remember christops on the defensive end it’s holding opponents to like 44% at The Rim he will post a mismatch if you happen to get him in a switch he’s going to punish that switch his postup opportunities one of were one of the most effective and efficient plays in the entire NBA uh yeah I think they’re going to have a hard they would have a hard time winning the series and listen he hasn’t played since game four of the Miami series so what does he look like uh it’s one of the most compelling storylines as we start this playoff or this match up and then you start you mentioned the the defensive prowess of Dallas that the Mavericks identified was necessary do me a favor and give me some folks that you mean actual players and how they they might match up against the Celtics starting Thursday night with you at the mic on ABC well dor yeah so this is this is the biggest test for this Dallas defense that is vastly improved and to me one of the most striking aspects of the PJ Washington Daniel gaffard and derck Jones Jr can we remember that nobody I don’t think Derek Jones Jr had a lot of suitors he didn’t sign with the Dallas Mavericks I believe until August maybe and yet he is a starter on an NBA Finals team and nightly absorbing an incredibly difficult matchup and a couple of things have happened that are important Luca and Kyrie are playing as hard and as engaged on the defensive end of the floor as we’ve ever seen them and for the longest stretch as we’ve ever seen them but nobody covering this series I don’t think it’s going to say oh those are two Elite defensive players right so there’s still some opportunities for this talented Boston team to attack um but the thing I think most is something Jason kid told us in one of our coaches meetings and this is important and this is why fit and chemistry and and the vibe of this team is important Derek Jones Jr Daniel Gafford um PJ they relish the fact that they can cover up and support maybe some of the pieces around them that aren’t as good defensively Maxi kba’s return is enormous for two reasons Maxi is one of the most outstanding defensive players in the league really smart cross positional and he has a knack for making big three-point shots and that’s facing it’s critical um so there’s any number of defensive players Josh Green Off the Bench the ability to apply ball pressure uh can you use your depth a little bit if you’re Dallas so this is the biggest test Boston was the most efficient offensive team in the league they push shooting on the floor at all five positions in almost every lineup they run out there um so this I’m telling you I I’m so excited and then there’s the delicious story lines Kyrie leaves Boston it doesn’t feel very good when he leaves that fan base is not happy christops porzingis his time in Dallas didn’t work out well how motivated is he if he’s healthy and well and can participate like there’s so many things happening here catch the rich eyes and show every single day on the Roku Channel 12:00 to 3 Eastern for free

ESPN’s Doris Burke on the Celtics’ Key to Beating Mavs in NBA Finals | The Rich Eisen Show

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