Dallas Mavericks avert sweep with Game 4 blowout of Boston Celtics in NBA Finals

DALLAS – Jason Kidd had a simple explanation for why his Dallas Mavericks players brought their “A” game on June 14 in Game 4 of the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals.

“It was this or we go on vacation,” the coach said.

Holiday plans have now been put on hold as the Mavericks routed the Boston Celtics 122-84 at American Airlines Centre to cut the deficit in the best-of-seven series to 3-1.

Dallas star Luka Doncic scored 25 of his 29 points in the first half and Kyrie Irving added 21 points while helping the Mavericks avoid a 4-0 sweep. However, no team have rallied from 3-0 down in NBA history to win a play-off series, with the record standing at 156-0.

The scene shifts back to Boston for Game 5 on June 17, as the Celtics will look to close it out at TD Garden and land their 18th championship title.

“Like I said at the beginning of the series, it’s first to four. We’re going to believe until the end. I have big belief in this team, so we’ve just got to keep believing,” Doncic insisted.

Dallas got off to a fast start and did not look back.

Slovenian Doncic started a 10-0 spurt in the first quarter as the Mavericks took a 25-14 lead with 3min 19sec left. That early run was a sign of things to come.

By the end of the opening period, Dallas had a 34-21 lead and they kept pouring it on. They doubled up the Celtics 50-25 on a lay-up by Irving at the 5:16 mark of the second quarter. To close the half, Maxi Kleber drilled a three-pointer that gave the home side a 61-35 lead at the break.

Dallas shot 52.3 per cent from the field compared to Boston’s 29.7 per cent in the opening half.

“They came out desperate and I think they punched us in the mouth,” Celtics guard Jrue Holiday admitted.

The Mavericks then turned it into a full-on rout in the second half, surging ahead by as many as 48 when they took a 115-67 lead with 5:58 left in the game.

They reached the 100-point mark several minutes before that on a three-pointer by Tim Hardaway Jr. Dallas did not reach 100 points in any of the first three games against Boston.

The Mavericks’ 38-point final margin of victory was the third largest in NBA Finals history. The Chicago Bulls beat the Utah Jazz by 42 points in Game 3 in 1998, and the Celtics crushed the Los Angeles Lakers by 39 in Game 6 in 2008.

“Our group was ready to go. We were desperate. We’ve got to understand that Boston are trying to find a way to close the door. But the hardest thing in this league is to close the door when you play a group that has nothing to lose,” Kidd said.

Defeat snapped a 10-game winning streak for the Celtics, who dropped to 7-1 on the road in the play-offs.

“They played with a ton of energy and physicality,” said Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, whose side were led by Jayson Tatum’s 15 points.

“Dallas outplayed us. They just played harder. At the end of the day, we have to just maintain our process and get ready for Game 5.”
REUTERS, AFP