Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford and Boston Celtics pivotman Kristaps Porzingis once shared the same cramped workspace in D.C.
Through a convoluted sequence of upper management maneuvers so prevalent in today’s NBA, Gafford and Porzingis wound up playing parts of two seasons (2022-2023) together with the Washington Wizards.
Both big men eventually exited the nation’s capital and now will battle each other for position on the blocks starting with Game 1 of the NBA finals on Thursday night at the TD Garden.
Gafford recalled spirited practice sessions with Porzingis during his appearance at Mavericks media day at the TD Garden. Since Porzingis is 7-2, 240 pounds, and Gafford is 6-10, 234 pounds, they learned each other’s moves and emerged better players from the experience.
“There’s a lot of great memories with KP,” said Gafford. “I always used to expect to come in and have a challenge day in and day out going against him in practice. He’s one of the guys that used to always, like, motivate me when it came to the things that I did on the floor. I really appreciated him with certain areas that he helped me progress in.
“He helped me a lot defensively, too, guarding a guy of his height, a guy that shoots over you. You crawl up into his airspace, he still shoots over you. Finding a way to make that not happen was something I always focused on every day going into practice.”
Gafford was actively engaged in the Mavericks’ hardwood encounters with the L.A. Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference playoffs.
Porzingis was less active in the postseason, spending most of his time on the bench as the Celtics dispatched the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference. Porzingis has been on the shelf since suffering a right calf strain in Game 4 of the Celtics’ opening series against the Miami Heat.
Porzingis built himself back up during the nine days of downtime between Indiana and Dallas and confirmed he would be on the court for the opener against the Mavericks on Celtics’ media day. Al Horford had done a better than adequate job in Porzingis’ absence and Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd has devised a game plan that prepared for both of them.
“The (game plan) is pretty much the same,” said Gafford. “Go out and stay confident and comfortable when it comes to just like the position we’re going to be in defensively. Offensively, not letting them speed us up.
“They got a lot out of veteran defenders — Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, he’s around the basket blocking shots. There’s a lot of guys that are guards that can block shots, too.
“When it comes to the rebounding side, we got to make sure we keep the little guys off the glass. Little guys coming from the corners, up top. They’re flying from everywhere, to rebound to make sure they get a second-chance opportunity. We have to be pretty much focused on this. Pretty much the game plan.”
Porzingis was acquired on June 23, 2023, by the Celtics in a three-team deal that involved Washington and the Memphis Grizzlies. The Mavericks picked up Gafford in a trade with Washington on Feb. 8, 2024.
The compelling storyline from Game 1 was the return of Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, who played two tumultuous seasons with the Celtics. Although they have only been teammates a short time, Irving has made a favorable impression on Gafford.
“Honestly, one of the best human beings to be around,” said Gafford. “When I got here to now, just seeing how he carries himself, how he talks.
“One of the best people to be around. He embraces everything he’s been through, and he’s found ways to just improve and progress from that. I’ve heard him talk about when he was here, transitioning to Brooklyn. He said he learned a lot. It takes a lot of just like humble and humility just to go through something like that.
“I would say he’s one of the best people in the world to be around, because everybody has had some type of situation. You see me at my worst. You never pay attention to just like the progress of how I’m trying to better myself.”