Mavericks Dominate Celtics in Game 4. Will it Matter?
Dallas would deny Boston a chance at the clean sweep last night, winning in dominant fashion at home, 122-84.
Point Guard Luka Dončić stepped up with his defense, role players hit their shots consistently, and Boston’s starters were done by the end of the third quarter (Tim Hardaway Jr. hit FIVE 3’s in garbage time… for fun!)
While they posted the third largest winning margin in an NBA Finals game ever, can the Mavericks do the impossible and comeback from the series down 3-1?
Image by Julio Cortez / AP
When you take a look at the record books, it doesn’t look favorable for Luka and co.
One has to go back to 1942 to see the first (and only) comeback from a 3-0 deficit in a finals series. The Toronto Maple Leafs would notch four straight wins against the Detroit Red Wings to lay claim to the Stanley Cup that year.
Out in the MLB, Boston would overcome a 3-0 deficit against New York in 2004, but only for the AL Championship, not the World Series.
In the NBA, a 3-0 deficit, has never been overcome. The closest it’s ever been was WAY back in 1951. This was the first and LAST time an NBA team has forced a Game 7 after being down 3-0 (in the finals), as the New York Knicks would eventually lose the series to the Rochester Royals, 4-3.
Image by Adam Glanzeman / Getty Images
The Celtics won’t go down that easy though. This is a team that hasn’t lost three games in-a-row the entire NBA season. While the Mavericks played extremely well, it’s also very clear to see the Celtics simply didn’t even play average. They were just bad.
The superstar duo of Shooting Guard Jaylen Brown and Small Forward Jayson Tatum would combine for 7/22 from the field and only 25 points total. Jrue Holiday, their defensive guru at Point Guard, had a plus/minus of -38 last night. This is the worst ever recorded plus/minus (in an NBA finals game) since the stat has been tracked!
Needless to say, last night’s historic loss might have only been that; one historic loss.
Facing a team that hasn’t lost four games in-a-row in over three years is no easy task.
The Dallas Mavericks have one win under their belts now when many thought it’d be an easy sweep.
Can they really win these next three, and create history right before our very eyes?
Or, will the Boston Celtics show everyone last night was a fluke, and cruise their way to an illustrious thirteenth NBA title?
Catch Game 5 on Jun. 17, 8:30 PM EST to find out!
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