Jason Kidd’s declaration that Jaylen Brown, not Jayson Tatum, was the Celtics’ best player seemed like a clear attempt at gamesmanship ahead of Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

Sunday’s Luka Doncic development appeared to be more of the same.

Six hours before tipoff at TD Garden, Dallas downgraded its All-NBA guard from probable to questionable, adding a “thoracic contusion” to Doncic’s lengthy list of injuries.

“Luka’s questionable,” Kidd, the Mavs’ head coach, said in his pregame news conference. “So, we’ll see how he feels when he warms up and make that decision.”

It didn’t take them long to do so, however. About 20 minutes after Kidd’s presser concluded, the Mavs announced Doncic — who also is dealing with a right knee sprain and left ankle soreness — would, in fact, be available for Game 2.

Kidd said Doncic suffered his latest ailment “taking a charge or diving on the floor for a loose ball” during Thursday’s 107-89 Celtics win. Doncic still played a team-high 38 minutes and scored 30 points, though he dished out just one assist. The Slovenian superstar has not missed a game this postseason, averaging 41.3 minutes per night and leading the Mavs in points (28.8), rebounds (9.7) and assists (8.4).

The Celtics have benefited from injuries to several big-name opponents during their playoff run, from Jimmy Butler to Donovan Mitchell to Tyrese Haliburton. But it would have been shocking if Doncic did not suit up Sunday, despite Kidd’s public display of uncertainty.

“(We have) just one game plan,” Kidd said. “If he’s out, we’re prepared to go without him, next man up. If he’s going, the game plan doesn’t change — he’s in. We’ve been in this seat pretty much the whole playoffs. So, nothing changes.”

Porzingis opens up about injury rehab

Kristaps Porzingis, whose excellent return to action helped propel Boston to a blowout win in Game 1, admitted in an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews that he feared he might not be healthy enough to plan in the NBA Finals.

“Yes, because (the recovery) was getting longer than expected,” Porzingis said. “I’m like, ‘Am I going to be good? Am I going to be in shape for the Finals? It’s tough. I’m not going to lie, it’s tough just to prepare for that mentally.”

Porzingis suffered a soleus strain in his right calf on April 29 and missed 10 playoff games, sitting out all of the Eastern Conference semifinals and East finals.

It was a 38-day absence in total, but the 7-foot-2 center showed no sign of rust in his first game back, pouring in 18 first-half points and blocking three shots in Boston’s 107-89 win.

Head coach Joe Mazzulla chose to use Porzingis off the bench in Game 1 — leaving steady veteran Al Horford in the starting five — and did the same Sunday night in Game 2. Before this series, Porzingis had started all but one of his 473 career games, including playoffs.

Seaworld Celtics

What do soccer and Shamu have in common? They both helped inform Mazzulla’s coaching style.

Celtics reserve Sam Hauser on Saturday said Mazzulla takes cues from both the beautiful game and the animal kingdom to get his message across to Boston’s players.

“I would just say he’s like got a unique approach to the game,” Hauser said. “He pulls things from, like, soccer teams, pulls things from killer whales and how they go about finding food and prey, things like that, and he ties it into the game of basketball. And I think it’s a unique way to go about it. It’s different and cool and engaging.”

Mazzulla, who’s in just his second season as a head coach, certainly is not afraid to approach the role in unconventional ways. It’s hard to argue with the results.

As for Hauser, he made an impact in Game 1 after a very quiet Eastern Conference finals. The backup sharpshooter made both of his 3-point attempts and was an effective defender in his 16 minutes. His eight points were more than he scored in the entire East finals (seven).

“The most important thing for guys like Sam and Payton (Pritchard) is having an understanding we would not be here without those guys,” Mazzulla said. “They have literally won games for us.”

Off the rim

Seizing an obvious opportunity to hype up the home crowd, Kyrie Irving’s “I thought it was gonna be a little louder in here” quote was plastered on the Garden jumbotron before Dallas took the court for pregame warmups. Emphatic boos ensued. … Among the notables in attendance Sunday night: Celtics legend Paul Pierce and Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, who both played for Boston and coached Porzingis in Dallas. The Celtics swept Carlisle’s current club in the conference finals.