BOSTON — With less than a minute left in the first quarter, the Celtics made a 3-pointer that didn’t mean much in their Game 1 win, but it may be significant in the series.
Jrue Holiday threw a jump pass on the break to Sam Hauser in the corner in front of the Celtics bench. With Josh Green closing on him, Hauser didn’t have time to think. He didn’t have time to ponder that he was in the NBA Finals for the first time or that he was mired in a 1-for-14 shooting slump coming in.
Hauser caught it in rhythm and put it up and watched it splash through the net.
BetMGM BET UP TO $1,500! BONUS BET REFUND AFTER A LOSS
STATES: AZ, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MD, MI, NJ, OH, PA, TN, VA. Visit BetMGM.com for Terms and Conditions. 21 years of age or older to wager. MA Only. New Customer Offer. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Rewards issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets. Bonus bets expire 7 days from issuance. In Partnership with MGM Springfield. Play it smart from the start with GameSense. GameSenseMA.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org. US Promotional Offers not available in New York.
Early in the second quarter, Holiday found him again. This time it was Luka Doncic who was late closing. Hauser was setting himself to shoot even before he caught that ball allowing him to release it in one motion and made his second 3-pointer.
He finished the game with eight points on 3-for-4 shooting. His only miss was a two. It was exactly the sort of game the Celtics would have hoped Hauser would have, a confidence-restoring game under the bright lights of the finals.
If Hauser’s slump is fully behind him, it means Boston can keep stretching the Mavericks defense when they go to the bench for rest, foul trouble or whatever.
More leftover observations from Game 1
* More than any other Celtics in recent years, Holiday has a calming efficiency about him. It just feels like he’s going to do the right thing when he’s on the floor. Marcus Smart was capable of dragging the Celtics into the fight sometimes when they badly needed it, but Holiday’s poise has been what this team has needed.
* The Celtics and the NBA. should sell the Bill Walton tribute shooting shirts that they wore before Game 1.
They were a perfect combination of appropriate and understated with the word “Walton” in tie-dyed color on a black shirt. They should sell them and give a percentage of the sales to whatever charity the Walton family chooses.
* Kyrie Irving bringing a ball into his press conference the way some players bring their children was one of the low-key weirder things an unusual guy has done.
* Jason Kidd overreacted to two Dallas turnovers.
After the Mavericks cut the Celtics’ 29-point lead to eight in the third quarter, the Mavericks were called for traveling on back-to-back possessions. The two turnovers led to one Celtic point. But Jason Kidd couldn’t get over it in the postgame. With limited or no prompting. He came back to the sequence three times:
- “We did cut it to eight and got the rebound and unfortunately came up with a travel
- At halftime, we talked about what we had to do, and I thought we did that coming out in the third. Again, cutting that lead, getting it to eight with the ball. Unfortunately, we traveled.
- We get the miss. We get the rebound. The momentum is going our way. Unfortunately, we traveled. And then from that point on, they took control of the game.
It wasn’t like this happened in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. The turnovers wouldn’t have any more back-breaking than missed shots. The Celtics just happened to settle down and start playing well again, which was bound to happen eventually.
* How strange must watching this series be for Grant Williams?
* There were as many Philadelphia Eagles as former Celtics in attendance.
Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeff Lurie is a Boston native, Brandeis alum and fan of the Celtics and Red Sox so it wasn’t surprising that he was in attendance, but he had seven of his players with him. There were more Eagles than Patriots in building.
* Having Tom Brady Hall of Fame night on the same night as Game 3 of the NBA Finals was short-sighted.
This was an avoidable conflict by the Patriots and Robert Kraft as the NBA finals dates are set way ahead and it’s not like it’s a huge surprise that the Celtics made it. Having the Brady event on the gimmicky 6/12 (Six championships, jersey No. 12) isn’t that important. June 13 an off day would have been fine. So would July 12th.
* The Celtics matched the franchise record of eight consecutive playoff wins. Matching or breaking ANY franchise playoff record is noteworthy given the franchise’s absurdly successful history.
* There’s expected to be a political protest outside before Game 2. Fans should plan travel and parking accordingly.
Follow MassLive sports columnist Matt Vautour on Twitter at @MattVautour424.
