Heading to a pivotal Game 4, Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks have two options in the table: either figure out a way to extend their season or fold in the biggest stage and see the Boston Celtics hoist the title.
They chose the former. Don't count them out just yet in this NBA Finals series.
“Like I said in the beginning of the series, it’s first to four and we're gonna believe till the end. We’re just gonna keep going,” Doncic said after leading the Mavericks to a historic 122-84 Game 4 blowout win over the Celtics to force a Game 5 back in Boston.
"It's first to 4, and we're going to believe till the end" pic.twitter.com/6yjQENJzMv
— NBA (@NBA) June 15, 2024
The Celtics still hold a 3-1 series lead.
These NBA Finals are not over, thanks to one of the biggest blowouts in Finals history. Dallas’ 38-point victory margin was the third largest ever in an NBA Finals game, behind only Chicago’s 96-54 manhandling of Utah in 1998 and Boston’s 131-92 beatdown of the LA Lakers in 2008.
Largest blowout wins in Finals history:
— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 15, 2024
+42 — Bulls vs Jazz (1998)
+39 — Celtics vs Lakers (2008)
+38 — Mavs vs Celtics (tonight)
+36 — Spurs vs Heat (2013) pic.twitter.com/5qzE7jWndS
“I have a big belief in this team that we can do it. We just gotta keep believing,” the Sloveninan superstar said, who finished with 29 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals despite missing all of his eight three pointers.
Kyrie Irving added 21 points for his second 20-point game this Finals series.
In probably the biggest game of their season, Luka and the Mavericks did, and they have to keep that belief intact for the next three games in order to pull off perhaps the greatest Finals comeback in league history.
“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.”
Dallas’ played super defense, dominated the boards and pounded inside to hand Boston their first playoff loss in over a month and snapped their 10-game winning streak and seven-game road postseason wins.
A DEFENSIVE MASTERPIECE 👌
— NBA (@NBA) June 15, 2024
Backs against the wall and the @dallasmavs defense STEPPED UP in the 122-84 win.
Game 5: Monday, 8:30pm/et, ABC pic.twitter.com/JY6HpgCiOZ
The Mavs reserves outscored Boston’s, 54-40, with Dereck Lively II chipping 11 points and 12 rebounds, Tim Hardaway Jr. scoring 15 points, and Dante Exum adding 10 off the bench for the Mavs.
Dereck Lively II was huge off the bench for Dallas in the Game 4 win!
— NBA (@NBA) June 15, 2024
💪 11 PTS
💪 12 REB
💪 80.0 FG%
💪 1st-career 3-pointer
He joins Magic Johnson (5x) as the only players 20 or younger to record multiple double-doubles in NBA Finals history 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/s1zVD6MrhK
“It’s huge for us. Everybody played with energy and that's how we're gonna do it, think the same way in Game 5 in Boston, Doncic added.
The Mavericks used a 40-14 run over the first and second quarters for a 50-25 lead. It took a 61-35 lead into halftime and then extended its advantage to 88-52 with 3:18 left in the third quarter and led 115-67 for the largest lead of the series.
However, Dallas still has the steepest climb possible in this series — no team has successfully rallied from 3-0 down in NBA history — but the first step is done.
“It’s gonna take everything, especially the energy. We're gonna stay together and be locked in,” Doncic said on what it’s gonna take for the Mavs to go back to Boston for Game 5 and steal another win.
“We have nothing to lose,” Kidd said.
Game 5 will be on Tuesday, June 18, at 8:30 a.m. It will be aired LIVE on One Sports, NBA TV Philippines, RPTV, and the Pilipinas Live app.
