As LeBron James and many others have stated, the closeout game is the hardest for any team, even if said team had dominated the early goings of a series. The Celtics discovered firsthand Friday night when the Mavericks — fighting to keep their season alive — produced a performance for the ages.
The Mavericks’ 122-84 victory over the Celtics was the third-largest margin of victory in an NBA Finals game, surpassing the Spurs’ 113-77 rout of the Heat in Game 3 of the 2013 NBA Finals.
While many expected the Mavs to put forth a strong showing after their forgettable Game 3 loss, few could have foreseen Jason Kidd’s team to pull off a 39-point victory. Former five-time NBA Champion Derek Fisher explained why the Mavericks stunned him with their performance on Friday.
“I did feel like Dallas could win the game [Friday], but not by 50 [final margin 38],” Fisher told “The Draymond Green Show” in his post-game analysis. “I did not anticipate such a lopsided victory. The reason I thought Boston would struggle in Game 4 is because they haven’t been at that doorstep yet, they haven’t been at three wins — and they see that fourth win right over the finish line but it’s still so far away. As you know, getting that fourth one is often times literally the hardest one you ever played in.”
Fisher added that Mavericks’ strategic decision to push the pace caught the Celtics off guard, especially after Luka Doncic & co. struggled to break the 100-point barrier in the first three games.
It’s worth noting that the Celtics rested their starters for the entirety of the fourth quarter as they trailed 90-60 entering the final period. As such, the final margin of win was probably inflated to a certain degree.
Regardless, the Mavericks showed a lot of mettle on Friday to give themselves a fighting chance going into Monday’s Game 4. Jason Kidd’s team is trying to become the first team in history to overcome a 0-3 deficit in any round of the NBA playoffs.
The Celtics open Game 4 as 6.5 favorites to close the deal and hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy.