Mavericks Obliterate Celtics, Earn First Finals Win — But Is It Too Little, Too Late?

The 2024 NBA Finals will limp on to be watched another day, after all.

After falling to an unfortunate, historically insurmountable 3-0 series disadvantage against the Boston Celtics — thanks in part to a questionable Game 3 foul call that ejected All-NBA Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic with 4:12 remaining in regulation and the game well within reach — the Dallas Mavericks came roaring back on Friday night for a 122-84 Game 4 massacre. With the win, the Mavericks saved face and avoided a sweep, but they’ll have their work cut out for them if they hope to actually beat a tough, long Boston team three more times in this series.

Dallas mightily outworked the Celtics, who prior to Friday’s matchup had won their last 10 consecutive playoff games, in all facets of the game, pushing the pace and leaning on role players to convert all over the hardwood within the friendly confines of American Airlines Arena.

The Mavericks’ Hall of Fame backcourt, Kyrie Irving and Doncic, departed the game for good with 1:29 remaining in the third quarter, and Dallas leading 92-57. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, meanwhile, had already yanked all his starters with 3:18 left in the frame.

Doncic, who scored 25 of his 29 points in the game’s first half, finished connecting on 12-of-26 shooting from the floor (although he went a miserable 0-of-8 from long range), five rebounds, five assists, and three rebounds, plus a game-best plus-30. Irving notched 21 points on 10-of-18 shooting (it marked only his second game shooting better than 40 percent from the field in this series), and though his triples weren’t landing much for the third time in four games (he went 1-of-6 from deep), he still enjoyed a solid overall offensive night.

Dallas’ role players finally stepped up on offense, while the club’s starting frontcourt all managed to elevate their play defensively, overwhelming the Celtics with swarming, switching length.

Boston’s offense, meanwhile, uncharacteristically cratered. The Celtics averaged 106 points a game across their first three contests, all wins, while holding Dallas below 100 points in each. Boston connected on 46 percent shooting from the floor, while grabbing 41.3 boards and dishing out an average of 26 assists a night across those victories. In Game 4, the Celtics shot just 36 percent from the floor, grabbed just 31 boards (to Dallas’ 65) and passed for a mere 18 dishes (to the Mavericks’ 21).

All-Defensive guard Jrue Holiday hadn’t registered a single turnover in the Finals prior to this game. On Friday, he coughed up the rock five times, while registering a game-worst minus-38 plus-minus during his minutes on the floor.

Though Dallas starting five Daniel Gafford was the recipient of a signature Doncic alley-oop, rookie reserve center Dereck Lively II more than doubled Gafford’s minutes, notching an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double that included a highlight-reel moment of his own after rocking the rim off an Irving dime.

Boston, which had been roundly outshooting Dallas from beyond the arc, finished connecting on fewer treys than the Mavericks for the first time all series, albeit just barely. Boston went 14-of-41 from long range (34.1 percent), while Dallas shot 15-of-37 (40.5 percent).

The 122-84 defeat represented one of the biggest blowouts in the history of the NBA Finals. The final margin of 38 points was the third-biggest in Finals history, just a hair below the 42-point edge carved out by the Chicago Bulls (still the record) during their 96-54 Game 3 victory over the Utah Jazz during the 1998 Finals, which the Bulls won in six games.

The series now shifts back to TD Garden in Boston, where the Celtics will look to close out the series on their home turf. Should Boston win, they’ll capture an NBA-record 18th title, their first since 2008. The Mavericks secured their lone championship in 2011. They would need to achieve something never before done in the history of the NBA in rallying from an 0-3 series deficit.