NBA Finals: How Luka Doncic's Mavericks can solve the math problem after Celtics dominate from deep in Game 1

Dallas needs to play more like Boston did offensively, but that's easier said than done

The Dallas Mavericks attempted 27 3-pointers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Boston Celtics attempted 27 3-pointers in the first half. When Mavericks stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving checked out with 5:17 left in the fourth quarter, the Celtics had generated 48 points from behind the 3-point line to the Mavericks' 15.

It was an extreme example of what Boston, the NBA's most prolific 3-point shooting team, often does to opponents. In the regular season, it attempted an average of 5.8 more 3-pointers per 100 possessions than its opponents, tied with the Indiana Pacers for the biggest differential in the league.

Dallas, however, is not just any other opponent. The Western Conference champs were the second-most prolific 3-point shooting team this season, and nobody attempted more corner 3s than them. On Thursday, the Mavericks shot 1-for-3 in the corners, and the one make was in garbage time. After watching Doncic and Irving shred the Minnesota Timberwolves' top-ranked defense, it was jarring to watch the Celtics so thoroughly defang them.