The Boston Celtics, with or without injury-prone center Kristaps Porzingis, looked like the team to beat through the first three games of their ongoing NBA Finals series against the Dallas Mavericks.
Boston had taken a commanding 3-0 lead over Dallas to that point in the series, winning by an average margin of 10.7 points per (though the only bout, a 107-89 Game 1 blowout victory, was by double digits). It seemed like the Celtics were primed to wrap up the series as soon as Game 4. Instead, All-NBA Mavericks guard Luka Doncic helped power Dallas to a commanding 61-35 first-half edge, chipping in 25 points of his own.
The Mavericks maintained a massive margin through the third quarter, to the point that no starter, from either side, suited up at all for the final frame.
The final tally, 122-84, represented the third-biggest gap in the history of the NBA Finals.
So how can Boston rebound from a truly miserable defeat and close this series out on Monday, when the action returns to the friendly confines of TD Garden? Let us count the ways.
1. Beat Dallas in Made Three-Point Attempts
In Game 4, Dallas made more triples than Boston for the first time in the Finals thus far, going 15-of-37 from beyond the arc (40.5 percent) to the Celtics' 14-of-41 shooting (34.1 percent from deep). But that number for Boston was pretty much in line with the team's output in the rest of the Finals. The Celtics shot 16-of-42 (38.1 percent), 10-of-39 (25.6 percent), and 17-of-46 (37 percent) from deep across their first three contests, taking and making more triples than Dallas in each instance.
Dallas went 7-of-27 (25.9 percent), 6-of-26 (23.1 percent), and 9-of-25 from deep (36 percent) in those first three games. Cumulatively, that's a 127-78 advantage in attempted treys. Boston has generally boasted far more players willing to take and make triples, often running five-out offenses with either Al Horford (a 41.9 percent three-point shooter on four tries a night this year) or Porzingis (a 37.5 percent shooter on 5.1 long-range looks) in at center.
The Celtics' sharpshooting and high-volume output has been a staple of their run to the Finals. Boston will need to adjust to the faster-paced offense that seemed to benefit the Mavericks in Game 4 and figure out how to once again seal off Dallas' shooters the way it had been to this point.
2. Improve Its Rim Protection
This issue was a bit out of Boston's control, in fairness. The Celtics do boast one elite rim defender in Porzingis, but of course, he has been shelved across the last two contests after incurring a posterior tibialis dislocation in his left leg late in Game 2. Invariably, this made Boston vulnerable to a lot more penetration, which the Mavericks capitalized on in a big way for Game 4. Centers Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II were both frequent flyers into the lane and the recipients of some impressive finds from All-Star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Porzingis was technically available to play in Game 4, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN, but head coach Joe Mazzulla indicated the 7-foot-2 big man would only be used if circumstances warranted it. He didn't play for a single second. He suffered a major injury, and it remains questionable whether or not he'll even be back for the Finals at all, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
3. Count On Its All-Stars To Make Buckets
Boston's two 2024 All-Stars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, combined to shoot a miserable 7-for-22 from the field during Game 4, a miserable tally unworthy of players who've shot 47.1 percent from the field (Tatum) and 49.9 percent from the field (Brown) during the regular season. Tatum has been shooting so badly in the Finals that he will most likely miss out on Finals MVP honors should the Celtics go on to win, as he's posting a patchy 36.5 percent field goal conversion rate through his first four contests.
Brown, meanwhile, is shooting 49.2 percent from the floor and has generally served as a more steadying presence offensively. Both players have been excellent on the other side of the court.
They'll need to elevate their scoring to help bring Boston across the finish line, for the team's first title since 2008.
About the writer
Newsweek contributing writer Alex Kirschenbaum is a hoops fanatic who has managed to parlay his passion into a writing career. ... Read more
