The Dallas Mavericks completely blew away the Boston Celtics in an epic game four at the American Airlines Center. The match ended with a 38-point difference with Mavericks 122 and the Celtics 84 as the latter endured the third-largest defeat in NBA finals history. It was a complete demolition as the Mavericks led from the beginning to the end of the game. At no point did it look like the Celtics would get back in the game as the Mavericks continued to score points and widen the gap. By the third quarter, the score was 70-38; a 48-point lead! The score is now 3-1 as the Mavericks force a fifth game in an attempt to dig themselves out of the 3-0 trench they were in by the end of game three.
Almost everything that could go wrong went wrong for the Celtics. Jrue Holiday was sloppy, Jaylen Brown was off his game, Derrick white struggled and while Jayson Tatum grabbed 15 points for the team, he could not make a lot of assists like in recent games.
On the other side of the court, things seemed to click for the Mavericks as they played with the passion and hunger of players who did not want to go home. Doncic turned up as usual scoring 29 points, five assists and five rebounds and Kyrie also pulled his weight bringing in 21 points, six assists, and four rebounds. Kyrie seems to have finally found his rhythm after a shambolic performance in the first two games. He put up a stellar performance in game three earning 35 points for his team which unfortunately was not enough for the Mavericks to win the game; they lost 99-106.
Kyrie Irving
The real difference makers in this game were not Doncic or Irving. Doncic has been quite consistent in the entire postseason as well as Kyrie not counting the hiccups in the first two games of the finals. The duo of Derrick Lively II and Tim Hardaway were insanely effective off the bench. Lively grabbed 11 points and 12 rebounds in just 22 minutes on the court becoming the first rookie to record a double-double in the NBA finals since Hakeem Olajuwon in 1980. He also recorded his first three pointer in the NBA finals as he found the basket from the corner.
Derrick Lively II. Image source: NBA on X
Tim Hardaway made five three pointers to take in a total of 15 points for the team in just 12 minutes on the court. He outperformed Jayson Tatum in the first quarter .
Tim Hardaway
The Mavericks were effective on both offense and defense while the Celtics were the polar opposite.
The Celtics won game one 107-89, game two 108-95, and game three 106-99. They were up 3-0 and came to game four hoping to do a sweep and win the Championship but were handed the third largest defeat in NBA finals in history.
The Celtics were very dominant in game one as Jaylen Brown led his team in points (22) while Jayson Tatum led in rebounds (11) and was tied with Derrick White for assists(5). The Mavs on the other hand was a one-man show by a mile. We expected that Luka Doncic would do most of the scoring and he did but what we did not expect was for Kyrie not to be up to par. Doncic scored 30 points; obviously the most points by a single player on the court, and led his team in rebounds (10). Kyrie had two assists, three rebounds, and 12 points which in all honesty is quite poor for him.The Mavs trailed through all the quarters of the game and were weak on the defence allowing Jaylen Brown and even Kristaps Porzingis to get a lot of easy buckets.
Game two played out similarly to game one as Doncic put up legendary numbers. He made the first final triple-doubles in the history of the Maverick Franchise. Kyrie underperformed in game two again while the Celtics used their plethora of talent and multiple options up front to get the edge winning the game 105-98. Luka Doncic made 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists while Kyrie Irving made 16 points, two rebounds, and six assists a far cry from the 36 points he made in the final game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Celtic’s Jrue Holiday turned up for his team with 26 points and 11 rebounds.
Jrue Holiday after game two. Image source: @NBA on X.
In game three, the Mavericks put up more of a fight and Kyrie Irving finals found his rhythm. It still wasn’t enough to earn them the win.
Over the first three game, there seems to be a pattern; the Mavericks rely heavily on Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to get them the win while the Celtics have a lot more options that can score. When Jaylen Brown is having an off day, Tatum can turn up and cover for him and even when both wingers are off their game, there’s still Jrue Holiday who has proven his versatility in the first two games.
Kyrie did not perform up to expectations for the Mavericks in the first two games and even though Doncic has been absolutely exceptional, he can’t win this alone and carry the team all the way. The other players on the Mavericks team were sloppy in defence and the team, in general, were missing too many open chances.
Luka Doncic. Image source: @NBA on X
It seems the threat of imminent defeat in a sweep made all the Mavericks players dig deep to find their inner Michael Jordan. They finally took the load off Doncic and Irving and won against the Celtics in a dominant manner.
What to expect in game five
The Mavericks have tasted blood and they will want more. They are still down 3-1 and have everything to fight for as they attempt to overturn the deficit. If they can put up a similar performance to game four, they can win the game and make score 3-2. They know now that the Celtics can be beaten and can be beaten well and h they will hold on to that going into game four.
The Celtics on the other hand will attempt to put the finals to rest on Monday in Boston. If they want to win, they absolutely cannot allow a repeat of what happened on Friday. All the players need to find their rhythm and replicate their performances in the first h three games. And even with that, if the Mavericks play like they played on Friday they still have a chance to overwhelm the Celtics and win. At this point, with the score at 3-1, the Celtics are much closer to the title than the Mavericks but this is basketball; never say never. Is this the start of a comeback or have the Mavericks just delayed their imminent defeat?
What do you think will happen in game five?