The Celtics’ itinerant 7ft 2in colossus scored 18 points in the first 13 minutes of his NBA finals debut, sparking Boston to a Game 1 win worthy of these playoffs’ operatic scope
“You want Boston?” asked the mock-incredulous hype video voiced by the part-owner of Birmingham City FC, who had a decent career dabbling in the other kind of football. “Take it from me,” warned Tom Brady. “That’s a bad idea.”
Hard to disagree after the first game of the best-of-seven NBA finals. The Boston Celtics crushed the Dallas Mavericks, 107-89, though at its core the occasion was a tale of the unwanted.