Gasper on the defensive effort of Kristaps Porzingis
Kristaps Porzingis made his return to the Boston Celtics lineup in game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night. Much has been made about his offensive effort in the win, however, Chris Gasper of The Boston Globe joined Felger and Mazz on Friday and talked about the defensive effort of Porzingis.
Gasper on the defensive effort of Porzingis…
Chris Gasper: I think my chief takeaway is the way Kristaps Porzingis played, and not so much on the offensive end, which I think rightfully so got a lot of attention, but more what his influence was defensively on that game. And it really went beyond the three blocks. It was his ability to contest, alter, and deter shots in the paint, which is something that Dallas has done a lot of during the postseason. They came into the game attempting the most shots per game in the playoffs of any team with 18.7. That’s in the playoffs of teams that advanced beyond the first round when it comes to shots in the paint that aren’t in the restricted area. So aren’t in that little dotted line charge zone, so they’re in the paint but outside that area. That was where they get a lot of their shots from and they were just 7-22 last night in that area, which is 31%. And from the time he entered the game, 7:17 left in the first quarter, to when Jason Kidd waved the white flag and took all his starters out, as a team, overall shots anywhere on the floor, the Mavericks shot 37%. They were 41% for the game. So I think as much as you like the 29 foot threes from Porzingis and the 20 points in 21 minutes, I thought it was his defense that changed that game more than anything.
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Mazz's Tiers: Most feared Boston opponents
Tier 1
NEW YORK – APRIL 21: Derek Jeter #2 of the New York Yankees in the field against the Oakland Athletics on April 21, 2009 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
Derek Jeter – New York Yankees
Tom Coughlin – New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars
Eli Manning – New York Giants
Magic Johnson – Los Angeles Lakers
Ray Lewis – Baltimore Ravens
Guy Lafleur – Montreal Canadiens
Ken Dryden – Montreal Canadiens
Pat Riley – Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat
Tier 2
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 16: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates a three pointer against the Boston Celtics during the third quarter in Game Six of the 2022 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 16, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Patrick Roy – Montreal Canadiens
Dave Stewart – Oakland Athletics
Matthew Tkachuk – Florida Panthers
Peyton Manning – Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos
Kobe Bryant – Los Angeles Lakers
Don Shula – Miami Dolphins
Mariano Rivera – New York Yankees
Patrick Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs
Andy Reid – Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Kansas City Chiefs
Mike Shanahan – Denver Broncos
Lebron James – Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat
Steph Curry – Golden State Warriors
Tier 3
DALLAS, TEXAS – MARCH 07: Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat celebrates making a basket against the Dallas Mavericks in the first half at American Airlines Center on March 07, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tim Heitman/Getty Images)
Luka Doncic – Dallas Mavericks
Andrew Toney – Philadelphia 76ers
Jimmy Butler – Miami Heat
Braden Holtby – Washington Capitals
