Jason Kidd insists his comments between Game 1 and Game 2 about Jaylen Brown being the best player on the Boston Celtics wasn't an attempt to play mind games. 

“It wasn’t mind games,” Kidd told The Athletic on Tuesday after the Dallas Mavericks' practice. “But for whatever reason, everybody took it that way. Everybody was speculating, and no one really asked me that.”

Kidd and Brown also have a real relationship dating back to Brown's time at Cal.

“My whole thing was that, watching the Eastern Conference (playoffs), like, he has been (the Celtics’ best player),” Kidd said. “No one ever said I was wrong. Even their player said I wasn’t lying.”

Luka Doncic received a pain-killing injection before Game 2 to numb the area of his thoracic contusion, sources tell Tim MacMahon and Malika Andrews.

Doncic is expected to receive another injection before Game 3. 

“I feel good," said Doncic on Tuesday. "I don’t want to give any more details, but I feel good.”

The Dallas Mavericks enter Game 3 trailing the Boston Celtics in the 2024 Finals.

Luka Doncic was critical of his own play in the Dallas Mavericks' Game 2 loss at the Boston Celtics. Doncic had a 30-point triple double, but he also had eight turnovers and four missed free throws.

"I think my turnovers and my missed free throws cost us the game," Doncic said. "So, I've got to do way better in those two categories.

"But at the end of the day, we've got to make shots to win the game."

Kyrie Irving also continued his slow start to the series and took accountability for his play.

"He's not alone, and we are going to tell him that," Irving said of Doncic. "He's spilling into his emotions, feels like he could play better, just like me. I would take the brunt of the responsibility. The first two games weren't the best for me."

The Detroit Pistons are looking to hire Dennis Lindsey to their front office, sources told Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

Lindsey is currently a senior advisor to the Mavs. The Mavs are looking to retain Lindsey.

Lindsey was also a finalist for the Pistons' president of basketball operations role. 

The Dallas Mavericks have upgraded Luka Doncic to available for Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Doncic was previously downgraded from probable to questionable earlier in the day on Sunday.

The Mavs star has been dealing with a sprained right knee and left ankle soreness throughout the playoffs. Doncic then picked up a thoracic contusion at some point in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday.

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic has been downgraded to questionable for Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday. Doncic was previously listed as probable to play in Game 2.

The Mavs star is dealing with several injuries. He has a thoracic contusion, in addition to a right knee sprain and left ankle soreness. The latter two injuries are ones that Doncic has been dealing with throughout the playoffs.

On the eve of the Finals against his former team, Kristaps Porzingis was adamant he holds "no ill will" about his tenure with the Dallas Mavericks.

During Porzingis' time with the Mavericks, they had a pair of competitive first round exits against the Los Angeles Clippers. Porzingis tore his meniscus in the series in 2020 and had become more of a role player in 2021. The Mavericks reached the Western Conference Finals in 2022 after trading him to the Washington Wizards at that year's trade deadline. 

"Not all of it was like not good," Porzingis said. "We had some good moments. We had some decent moments, but overall it just didn't work for both sides. It wasn't perfect. But I would say everything -- teammates, locker room -- I know at that time there were some rumors that there was something in the locker room. It was never like that. It was all just noise at the end.

"It just wasn't perfect for us playing together, and it didn't work out. And that's it. There's no ill will, I don't think from their side. For sure, [there is not] from my side. I don't think there should be. It just didn't work out, but I have nothing but love for Dallas and for my teammates and for everybody there."

Porzingis has acknowledged it was initially difficult for him to play a secondary role behind Luka Doncic.

"I don't know why it didn't work out," said Doncic, who has downplayed the discussion about friction in his relationship with Porzingis over the years. "We were still both young. We tried to make it work, but it just didn't work. So we moved on."

There is a frequently recited mantra that the team with the best player in the series typically wins it. But the broader context of the teams matters as well. The Dallas Mavericks have the better player in Luka Doncic, but the Boston Celtics had the far superior record and point differential in the regular season.

According to research by Ben Rohrbach, the "best" player in the NBA Finals has won 56 of 68 championships, good for a win percentage of 82.4 percent. LeBron James accounts for five of those 12 losses.

The team with the better regular season record has finished 47-18 in the Finals, which is a win percentage of 72.3 percent. Teams that finish with eight or more wins than their opponents are 30-5 (.857 winning percentage) in the Finals.

Kyrie Irving signed his father Drederick Irving to an endorsement deal that includes a signature sneaker with ANTA Sports.

The contract is the first time that an athlete has signed their father to a signature shoe deal. 

Irving is the chief creative officer of ANTA.

Drederick Irving played professional basketball in Australia after a collegiate career at Boston University.

The NBA announced the 12 officials who will work the upcoming NBA Finals on Tuesday.

The refs include: Scott Foster, Tony Brothers, Marc Davis, James Capers, Zach Zarba, John Goble, David Guthrie, Bill Kennedy, Josh Tiven, Courtney Kirkland, James Williams and Kevin Scott.

"Each of these 12 officials have shown excellent skills, focus and commitment throughout the season and in the previous playoff rounds," said Byron Spruell, NBA president, league operations.

Tyler Ford and Ben Taylor were announced as alternate officials.