The Dallas Mavericks faced two choices: pack for Boston or pack for vacation.
Boston awaits.
These NBA Finals are far from over, thanks to one of the most lopsided victories in title-round history. Luka Doncic tallied 25 of his 29 points in the first half, Kyrie Irving contributed 21, and the Mavericks emphatically extended their season on Friday night, staving off elimination with a 122-84 thrashing of the Celtics in Game 4.
The 38-point margin was the third-largest ever in an NBA Finals game, trailing only Chicago’s 96-54 win over Utah in 1998 and the Celtics' 131-92 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in 2008.
“It’s real simple. We don’t have to complicate this. This isn’t surgery,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “Our group was ready to go. They were ready to celebrate and we made a stand. We were desperate. We’ve got to continue to keep playing that way. They’re trying to close the door. The hardest thing in this league is to close the door when you have a group that has nothing to lose. Tonight, you saw that.”
The Mavericks’ stars were done by the end of the third quarter, with good reason. It was all Dallas from the start, leading by 13 after one quarter, 26 at the half, and by as many as 38 in the third before both sides emptied the benches.
Before Friday, the worst NBA Finals loss for the 17-time champion Celtics was 137-104 to the Lakers in 1984. This was worse. Much worse, at times. Dallas’ biggest lead in the fourth was 48 — the biggest deficit the Celtics have faced all season.
The Celtics still lead the series 3-1, and Game 5 is in Boston on Monday.
“Preparation doesn’t guarantee automatic success,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “I thought we had a great process, a great shootaround, and a great film session yesterday. The guys came out with the right intentions, but it just didn’t go our way. Dallas outplayed us and they simply played harder.”
The loss—Boston’s first in five weeks—snapped their 10-game postseason winning streak, the longest in franchise history. It also ended their chance to be the first team in NBA history to sweep both the conference finals and the finals.
Jayson Tatum scored 15 points, Sam Hauser added 14, while Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday each finished with 10 for the Celtics.
For Dallas, Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 15 points, all in the fourth quarter, and Dereck Lively II recorded 11 points and 12 rebounds. Lively set the tone early with a three-pointer, the first of his NBA career, midway through the first quarter, giving the Mavs a lead they never relinquished.
The Mavericks dominated from the start, leading 61-35 at halftime despite shooting just 5 of 15 from three-point range and 10 of 16 from the foul line in the first half.
“It doesn’t change anything,” Doncic said. “It’s the first to four. We’re going to believe until the end. I have big belief in this team that we can do it.”
The Mavericks' first-half control was stark, with Boston setting some unfortunate records:
— The 35 points were the Celtics’ lowest in a half under Mazzulla’s two-year tenure.
— The 26-point halftime deficit was Boston’s second largest of the season, trailing only a 37-point deficit to Milwaukee on Jan. 11.
— It was Boston’s largest halftime deficit ever in an NBA Finals game, and their 35 points were the second-worst first-half total, besting only their 31 points against the Lakers on June 15, 2010, in Game 6 of that series.
Teams leading by 23 or more points at halftime were 76-0 this season before Friday. Now, it’s 77-0, matching Doncic’s jersey number.
Boston hoped to chip away at the lead in the second half, but Dallas quickly dashed those hopes with a 15-7 run in the first 4:32 of the third quarter, extending the lead to 76-42.
Mazzulla pulled all his starters with 3:18 left in the third quarter, with Dallas up 88-52.
“I expect us to be much better on Monday,” Celtics center Al Horford said.
The Mavericks still face a daunting challenge—no team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in NBA history—but the first step is complete.
“We have nothing to lose,” Kidd said.
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