Locked On Celtics - Daily Podcast On The Boston Celtics Locked On Podcast Network

Are the Mavs already desperate enough to be trying mind games against Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown? Jason Kidd's comments might be that, or they might be some gamesmanship, but whatever it is, it's an acknowledgment that the Mavs need some help from Boston to even the series. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal says the Celtics should just do what they did in Game 1 all over again and see if Dallas has any answers. They should also tap into the head coaches they have around the team to figure out adjustments they might need to make just in case.

The Celtics executed the perfect plan against Luka Doncic on both ends of the floor, and it's a plan that the Mavs are going to struggle to combat unless a lot changes in a short time. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss how well that worked and why their brief departure from it in the third quarter was part of why the Mavs were able to come back. Also, a closer look at why that lead was lost in the third and how to avoid that in the future.

The Celtics got huge games from Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis to dominate the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. They followed the exact plan John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal laid out, with the exception of bringing Porzingis off the bench. And even though a 29 point lead got down to eight, the Celtics came back with a championship-level response to get the lead back up to 25.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals is finally here. How to the Celtics take advantage of the weaknesses in Dallas' defense? How do they take advantage of their 3-point shooting? John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss what an ideal offense looks like, who the Celtics should target, and the two players not named Luka Doncic they should be trying to slow down in the Mavs offense.

Kristaps Porzingis says the plan is to play Game 1, but when he was asked if he was 100%, he said "we'll see." So is he ready to go, will he be risking another injury, and will he be effective when the Celtics and Mavs face off in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night? John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss Porzingis' comments, what the Celtics need out of him, and how much of an impact he can make even if he's not his normal self.

Part two of our crossover preview between Locked On Mavericks and Locked On Celtics focuses on Mavs questions, most importantly: Who do Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving defend? John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal believes there's no good answers there, which gives the Celtics a significant advantage. Also, how does Nick Angstadt feel about Dereck Lively, a rookie, being such a key figure in this series? Can the Mavs bigs be everywhere they need to be?