Celtics Go Up 1-0 on the Mavs in the NBA Finals! | Live Reaction | JJ Redick & Richard Jefferson

Celtics Go Up 1-0 on the Mavs in the NBA Finals! | Live Reaction | JJ Redick & Richard Jefferson

[Music] 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 [Music] 0er Welcome to a special episode of islands in the league this is a YouTube live presented by DraftKings sports book game one in the books um me first of all before I react to the game uh I just say RJ is supposed to be on this uh we had originally said 7:45 I’m a little early uh he may be jumping on but we hope to see uh Richard’s face here in a little bit um it was so cool uh be able to call a Finals game I you know I played in the NBA Finals it was a felt like a long time ago once I got out on the court last night to call that game it felt like forever ago it it felt like a distant memory and I remember most of my career very specific moments um the energy is just completely different and to be able to call the game to be able to call the game alongside Doris uh calling uh her first final game as well and of course to be able to call the game with Mike uh who’s an absolute Legend I believe it is Mike’s 19th NBA Finals uh it’s just it’s special it’s so special so I I so honored I get to do this um it was a lot of fun uh we have talked now for like a week uh week and change U about this matchup and even before Minnesota uh had lost officially lost in the series to Dallas I believe we started talking about the importance of kristof’s porzingis against either Dallas or Minnesota end ended up being of course Dallas Kristoph porzingis uh is different he’s just different and I think we saw that early last night it was honestly one of the best stretches uh I think it was about seven minutes there in the first H first quarter where we saw the full display he posted up smaller players and shot right over the top he stretched the floor to about 30 feet and knocked down threes he defended the rim and then in Boston’s V2 action which you know LeBron and I highlighted in mind the game this week he went to a dribble handoff kept the basketball turned the corner got the dunk um just I I think as a player who you know of course has been injured and have to come had to come back from injuries and long stretches of not playing to be able to just start the game like that was so important uh the other thing that really stood out to me with him and we showed it on the broadcast was when he came out on the court for the first time and the crowd was going crazy and he acknowledges them and then he he sort of gets out on the court and there’s just this massive smile on his face and you know I played with k P but I think about the joy and the happiness and just the peace that he’s had playing for the Boston Celtics this season this moment mattered to him you know all of us uh want to play in the NBA Finals uh that’s like the dream that’s the ultimate when you have been in different situations when you’ve been on non-playoff teams at times KP had never been out of the first round right so he has missed uh a lot of these moments during this stretch for the Boston Celtics he missed the second round missed the conference finals this was so cool for him it was just an important moment in his life in his career and it felt like he just fully embraced it lived it cherished it so an awesome start for him I still think by the way uh whether he comes off the bench or whether he starts that he still is the key to this series because of his Rim protection uh and because of his ability to boast both post small players and stretch the floor look this is a different match up for the Dallas Mavericks uh the spacing is different hey RJ what up hey we were talking about I was just talking about KP I was just talking about KP I I I just started someone or to the world uh we’re live we’re live oh you you said 7:45 is 7:4 what oh you started oh you started God you’re special bro like you’re such a like I’d like a few minutes to myself and stop texting me links just just email them because then I’m open my computer and then why are you getting mad at me I didn’t I’m grumpy it’s early hi America text you a link I didn’t text you a link that was Jason Jason it’s it’s your company bro your company you company too stop saying that people are gonna think we’re in cahoots stop saying that uh yeah what’ you think of last night what you I I I started with KP just because we had talked about him for the last week being sort of the key to the series I don’t think he could have got off to a better start no it was besides him besides him what is sort of your overall reaction to game one Jaylen Brown defensively just it was it was like you can play good but it was like the moment of the plays the impact the energy the first time ever in his life that he’s had three assists and or three blocks and three steals in a game yeah that’s a good time to have it right that’s a good time to have it against the league leader and in scoring um I thought Kyrie I think what we saw from him was like trying to calm himself down um right trying to like stay in that space um I TR I I think that Luca the the one assist thing I that’s that that’s one thing okay what but I think they’re going to play better they were shooting what was it what were they shoo 57% or something I forgot the number that they were shooting off of his passes coming in uh they were just they were the MS were shooting the ball uh so well so I I think today and tomorrow will be those gross um overreactions overreactions oh I had somebody I told you that the Celtics B I was like bro I lost game one and game two by a combined 40 points and won the series so everyone keep a cool boot as our guy perk says yeah I have a I have a another question for you um I am looking around my room right now and I do not see that background anywhere in my room and I’m trying to figure out did you get we’re not in the same room because we’re not in the same room we’re not no I know that no [ __ ] but where do where is that background like you have a couch suite are you stay at a different Hotel than me oh oh I’m not on the AA team I’m not on the a I’m not calling the NBA Finals JJ you’re here though they have us with the peasants in another area like you have to go underground right and there’s like a trail that you have to find you my friend there’s a tunnel there’s a tunnel there’s a tunnel with another Stell roil at the end of it yeah no no no I we are not stay everyone JJ is staying in a much nicer Hotel than myself Malika um the whole other crew he’s on the a team as he should look if I was calling the NBA Finals I would not want to stay with the others you’re so ridiculous yes yes I am I I think I think by the way I think on the Luca assist thing Boston could not have executed their game plan better some of it is because they’re cross switching uh they are clearly living willing to live with the Derek Jones Jr PJ Washington above the break threes MH Dallas was second in the regular season in three-point attempted per game obviously Boston number one uh and what part of what they did was they generated Corner threes they led the league in most Corner three attempts the corner three has been such a big part of this playoff run with PJ Derrik Jones Jr PJ Washington I think has the most Corner threes uh in the tracking era I think he’s got the third most Corner threes in a playoff run in the last 25 years Derk Jones Jr came into this uh game 17 of 37 something like that it was high 40% from corner 3es they took three Corner threes last night three and one of which was a Kyrie Irving end of shot clock that off the backboard right dunk they came into the game 54 alley oops for dunks that they had they had one lob attempt last night clear game plan on those Luca pick and rolls hey we’re not going to give up Corner threes we’re not going to give up the lob attempt that’s part of the assist numbers with Luca was he’s now having to throw back to above the break threes that was his essential Outlet there were times and I brought this up on the broadcast there were times they were almost willing to live with Luca scoring a two-pointer at the basket versus hey we’re not going to let him get the other guys off with the lobs in the corner threes Joe Missoula you know this because you’ve sat in all these meetings he’s such a math guy he he truly believes that if you play the right way in the way that he wants you to play which is you don’t give up certain things defensively and you generate enough good threes offensively the math is going to win over the long term and part of last night whether people want to admit it or not it wasn’t like Kyrie Irving having a bad game Luca not passing the ball part of it was the game plan created a math problem for the Dallas Mavericks so do you okay agreed right 42 threes 38% what uh to seven for 27 for 25 one of those I think was a Jaden Hardy at the end right yeah so it was that that was clear um I want to go to I want to go to you know great players yeah Luca’s got to adjust they’re going to adjust okay we’re going to do this but we’re going to tweak it here where do you think that the Dallas Mavericks can tweak it and have a better line of attack right if Lucas driving penetrating and his only Outlets are behind him above the break threes obviously they’re going to they’re going to either step into those shots and they’re going to look to do those aggressively or they’re going to figure out a way to get better quality of shots because Boston’s game plan was outstanding that’s Missoula is a very very good coach he gets a little when I say frustrating I mean like he’s very no this is what the numbers are and this but it’s like yeah but it feels like you’re shooting he’s just he don’t care about anything else other than like this is what I think this is why you guys get along this is what I think this is how this is the way we’re going to go until over a long period of time I’m proven wrong but if he’s proven wrong it’s because the math would be wrong and then he would adjust what he was doing I think he would adjust what he was doing I don’t think I I think I think you have to have uh and especially I mean there they were 64 and 18 they’re 13- two now in the playoffs like and they’ve got the Personnel that’s that’s like that’s what makes them different than any other team that and any other team that Dallas has played where you can help off of zubot you can help off of Russell Westbrook you can help off of Josh giddy you can help off of goar you can help off of Kyle Anderson Boston doesn’t have guys you can help off of so before we talk about the math thing I I wanted I wanted and and the adjustments for Dallas offensively they’ve got to be better uh on the ball and Doris talked about this on the broadcast and I have the the sort of advanced stats you know updated this morning but Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum both had too many blowb last night if you’re the Dallas defense they they got to the basket and then the second defender came and then all of a sudden now Bon is in their Swing Swing game so containing kadum and brown off the dribble let’s before you make any adj offensive adjustment you’ve got to be able to do a better job of that I’m not I’m not saying Luca is going to be perfect I’m not saying Kyrie or Josh Green is gonna be perfect I’m not saying drick Jones Jr PJ Washington is never gonna get blown by but you’ve got to be better there because a lot of the threes that were created in the half court were because of those blowb it wasn’t necessarily oh Jason Tatum is killing at The Rim Jaylen Brown’s killing at The Rim they they got some stuff at the rim of course but when the second defender came and they collapsed the defense now all of a sudden you’re getting catch and shoot threes and you’re not getting those on the other end so to even out the margin a little bit you’ve just got to be better on the ball it’s it’s it’s a simple thing and it’s not an adjustment it’s not a game plan thing it’s we’ve got to be better on the ball it’s a simple thing that could be hard to do it’s a simple thing because even that second Defender you get the big away from the rim you get the big of away from the rim without Al Horford or with KP now and they’re always going to be grab bigs are always going to naturally gravitate Horford Gafford they’re Gafford and Lively they’re gonna gravitate towards the rim because that’s what they’re used to shot like Rim protection so as you break that down they gravitate and the Swing Swing the problem with the Swing Swing for the Celtics all of those dudes can shoot high volume good percentage I it’s look it’s hard to say like the like you don’t obviously we don’t want to overreact there’s no point in overreaction I just look at if they’re going to if Dallas is going to get back into this from a standpoint of like it looks like strategically they have some things that they’re going to need to work out right this isn’t just like my best players played bad or this and that oh no no no no the way you the way the game was lost was more of a strategic they took away something they made you take difficult shots they went and got this on the offensive end and that made it look the Maverick scored 89 points the Celtics scored Celtics scored 107 let let’s say 115 if it like that game that game in my opinion like the Celtics played good the Celtics played good and the Mavericks played like ass they played like a hot pack ass just all right so the Cross Match mates with Boston Tatum primarily on Gafford or Lively um KP you know whether it was Derrick Jones Jr PJ Washington that’s usually who he was on same with Al Horford uh Al switched a little bit KP didn’t switch as much he just primarily played that drop coverage against those guys uh so you may you may have to say screw it we’re gonna PJ Washington popping the three PJ you got to take five of those drick Jones Jr made one early made one early then I think he only took one more in in that sort of space of the of the sort of popping to space thing so I think you you have to just say like in a game we have to take more threes you got you two guys you have to take more threes whether they go in or not it doesn’t I don’t think I don’t I think strategically you have to be willing to take the shot you have to even this out right you have to try at least to keep Bost and honest in these cross matches I also think they’re probably is going to be more Luca post-ups even against Jaylen I would I would I would venture to guess that’s G to be a thing where it’s not just going you know with a live dribble against you know four or five bodies it’s not going to be that get some Luca post-ups um but unless Luca and Kyrie score efficiently from two they have to score efficiently from two unless they do that I don’t think anything else really matters no I don’t anything else really matter I you’re watching this game and you’re like look they’re gonna play better I think there’s gonna be Clos they’re gonna play better for sure yeah yeah yeah but the Luca post up I think it’s a great point I just wonder when you’re at the top of the key but when you’re having to post and not luuka can do it all the great ones can do it but when you’re having to back down from the post and work from there I’m not going to say Luka can’t do it obviously Luca can but I think it takes a little bit more action banging and dealing with that physicality trying to get to your spot and working I like that better than at the top of the key with the way Boston’s defense is let’s get him on the Block right now if you start working Drew hot we’ve seen him work small guards we’ve seen him work Wings you’ve seen him get people in foul trouble right Luca is a problem I think that right there closer to the rim very efficient twos now if they do collapse he can throw late passes as well as anyone I do I do like I like him from the post from the mid post way more than at the top of the key against this Celtic defense against this Celtic defense that a better line of attack because you’re not getting switches across the board you’re not seeing the angles there are no triggers how about this one for you I got I got one one last stat for this um and then that’s not true like you [ __ ] pull stats out of your hat every day why are you wearing a backwards cap again well because I just woke up I woke up like 20 minutes ago bro and I I didn’t feel like jumping in the shower right away and like blow jaring my hair and put a product in ited for people that have hair bedhe head is a real thing oh I woke up two minutes ago I went like this you woke up 15 minutes ago because you jumped on right at 7:45 you on time I was on time that’s why I was like I was offended when I saw you started early I was like wow like felt like a welcome sit down anyways my La my here’s the here’s the other here’s the other thing that I’m just like again I brought up the math and like there’s certain things where and Kyrie going six for 19 like Dallas is gonna play better but my my point on this is there are certain things where okay we’re not getting our we’re not getting the corner threes we’re not getting lobs Boston’s out shooting us from three you’re you’re already sort of behind the eightball and the one guy that you’re trying to attack when they do switch is Al Horford and Dallas was one for 13 against Al Horford last night as the contesting Defender bro it’s it’s hard to win it’s hard to win I’m just saying it’s hard to win Al Horford like he’s Al Horford is not a hall of Famer but he is a like I’m saying he’s not a Hall of Famer but he is a way above like what like Al Horford is a two-time national champion lottery pick play in the playoffs like this man knows basketball he knows the angle it’s like if that’s the one chance that you have is we’re gonna attack that because that’s the weak link well sh how about like how about they Sam Hower checks into the game and Luca attacks him the first two plays and Sam Hower gets two stops like dude they were I gotta say I gotta say you brought up Jaylen and I’m glad you did the first thing like I thought his engagement both off the ball as a help Defender and then on the ball with Luca like that that was massive so KP KP coming in it’s like you have that emotional boost for the team emotional boost for the crowd but and and I brought this up like on the broadcast when they made their run how did Boston create the separation again it was it was literally Jaylen Brown just made like five straight plays on both Jay Brown was the best player last night he was the best player last night he picked Lucas’s pocket clean you don’t see that you don’t see that there was there was a play where Luca was Luca was frustrated I think it was five minutes to go in the God was it five minutes too on the third gets back he Luca gets back he kind of points to somebody does doesn’t get back on defense gets back just run you you know those guys that run to a player that’s being guarded already and then points to one their teammates to run away like hey I got him like no he’s already being guarded you’re supposed to run opposite Luke was like man you got that when I see those plays I saw a little fatigue a little frustration but when I look at what Jaylen Brown did and how he was just so impressive like you were up there defending full court you’re picking steals you’re helps side you’re blocking you’re doing oh it was Jaylen Brown was very very impressive he is he is probably about two more of those performances away from having a finals MVP like wow yeah fact fact all right this has been uh another uh DraftKings Sportsbook YouTube live this is islands in the league Richard you’re the best you’re a great friend for up and doing this this is business bro this is purely business purely business okay [Music]

The Celtics beat the Mavs in Game 1! JJ Redick and Richard Jefferson are here to react to Game 1 of the NBA Finals between Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks and Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis and the Boston Celtics.

Subscribe to The Old Man and The Three podcast w/ JJ Redick (ESPN / First Take) and Tommy Alter YouTube channel today for more NBA analysis, player interviews and highlights.