Jason Kidd Says Mavs Showing 'No Panic' After Losing NBA Finals Game 1 vs. Celtics

Despite his team's disappointing effort in Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals, Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd isn't concerned about their ability to bounce back.

Speaking to reporters about the Mavs' mindset right now, Kidd said there is "no panic" with his team going into Game 2 on Sunday night.

The Mavericks played arguably their worst game of the postseason in the 107-89 loss to the Boston Celtics on Thursday. The 89 points were their fewest in a game since the regular-season finale on April 14 when all of the regular starters were held out.

Luka Dončić had a double-double with 30 points and 10 rebounds, but he was held to one assist in the loss. It was his first game with fewer than two assists since Jan. 26, 2023, against the Phoenix when he left three minutes into the first quarter with a sprained ankle.

Kyrie Irving was held to 12 points on 6-of-19 shooting. Dereck Lively II did extend his streak of consecutive shots made to 17 dating back to the start of the Western Conference Finals, but he only took one field-goal attempt and was called for five fouls in 18 minutes.

The Mavs as a team went 7-of-27 from three-point range after shooting 39.2 percent behind the arc in 11 total games over the previous two rounds against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Even though this wasn't the start to the Finals the Mavs were looking for, they have every reason to feel confident about turning things around quickly.

Dallas lost Game 1 to the Los Angeles Clippers and Thunder by a combined 34 points. The team responded by winning Game 2 on the road against both teams. The Western Conference champs are 7-3 on the road in this postseason, including the Game 1 loss in Boston.

The last time the Mavericks lost in a game that Dončić and Irving didn't play well was Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals against the Timberwolves. They responded in Game 5 by scoring a combined 72 points on 28-of-49 shooting, with Dončić putting up 20 in the first quarter alone.