DALLAS- The Boston Celtics came into Friday’s contest looking to make history.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and company were looking to hoist the Larry O’Brien in front of the Dallas faithful, and then return to Boston and hang up banner number 18. Unfortunately for the C’s, they’ll be returning to Boston — with the company of the Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavericks routed the Celtics 122-84, led by of course, Luka Doncic. The narrative surrounding Doncic heading into Friday’s affair was quite negative. A clear lack of defensive awareness and effort is unacceptable in a finals game, and Doncic looked anything but disciplined in game three.
The Mavs' star duo combine for 50 points to force Game 5 back in Boston ????????
Luka: 29 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST, 3 STL
Kyrie: 21 PTS, 4 REB, 6 ASTGame 5: Monday, 8:30pm/et, ABC pic.twitter.com/3R7DaFrGrq
— NBA (@NBA) June 15, 2024
On Friday, Doncic’s efforts were largely there on the defensive end. Sure, it wasn’t perfect, but it seemed as if Doncic felt more incentivized to contribute defensively than he did in games prior.
He finished with 29 points, followed by Kyrie Irving’s 21 points. Tim Hardaway Jr. poured in 15 points off the bench, silencing critics following a disappointing series.
Luka, Mavs force Game 5 in Boston ???? pic.twitter.com/On62juNIii
— NBA (@NBA) June 15, 2024
Boston seemed less urgent in this game. The Celtics are clearly a different team from 2022, the last time they made the finals. That’s why they’re up 3-1. But it seemed as if the rotation as a whole just looked discombobulated. Not many effective set plays, not physical enough defensively, among many other issues. Not having Kristaps Porzingis puts Boston in a worse position, but this level of production is unacceptable. Zero 20-plus point scorers in a finals game not a good sign.
This series will return to Boston for game five on Monday, June 17.
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Justin LaCertosa covers Phoenix Sports News for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @LaCertosaSports
