Kristaps Porzingis the second player in 50 years with NBA Finals feat

The three other players to score 20 or more points in 21 minutes of an NBA Finals game were all Celtics as well — Bill Sharman (1959), Larry Siegfried (1966) and Leon Powe (2008).

Porzingis also became the ninth NBA finals debutant since 1976-77 to score over 18+ points in the first half. 

It remains to be seen if Joe Mazzulla continues to bring Porzingis off the bench for the remainder of the series. Before the game, the Celtics coach confirmed that Porzingis was not under a minutes restriction, noting that the plan was to let his big man get his legs under him. 

There's little doubt the strategy worked in Game 1 as the Mavs struggled to adjust to Porzingis, who caught them off guard by launching threes from 30 feet, not to mention sprinting down the court and swatting shots. 

After Thursday's Game 1 win, Derrick White explained why Porzingis changes the entire complexion of the Celtics on both ends of the floor. 

"He's a matchup nightmare," White said of his teammate. "Even when you play good defense, he doesn't really see you. It's been unreal just watching him all year. Then defensively, he uses his size well, just impacts the games in so many different ways. He changes us, and he makes us a better team."