The Dallas Mavs, with one foot in the grave, conjured enough sorcery to win Game 4 by a mile, 122-84, in the NBA 2024 Finals in Dallas. With the score standing at 3-1, the heavily-favored Boston Celtics now fly home where they hope to put the finishing touches to win their 18th NBA crown, and regain the lead as the most dominant force in the NBA today.
The Mavs raced to a 13-point lead in the first quarter, padded it to 26 by halftime, and it was all ho-hum cruise-control by the second half. The Celtics’ seeming lack of effort in the game suggests that the team wants to finish off the series – and the season itself – in their homecourt at the TD Garden. The Lakers and Celtics are tied for the highest number of championships in the NBA at 17 apiece, (12 as the L.A. Lakers and 5 as the Minneapolis Lakers). A win this Monday would put the 18th banner up in Boston’s TD Garden rafters, and the distinct honor, once again, as the NBA’s most successful franchise.
Two years removed from a hard-fought 4-2 loss to the Golden State Warriors for the NBA 2022 crown; and a year after a heartbreaking 4-3 upset loss to the Miami Heat in the 2023 Eastern Conference Championship, the Boston Celtics are just a win away from exacting sweet redemption. And they have certainly paid their dues. It took a few years of maturation for young stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, plus the arrival of all-stars Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, and the steady support of veterans Dereck White and Al Horford. And this proud team is finally just a win away from joining the other Celtic immortals.
One of the Celtics’ legends, the great Bob Cousy, is now 95 years old. He wants to see the Celtics win their 18th NBA title before he goes. “I know I’m in overtime. So everything in your life becomes more meaningful. And one of the last things I want to be able to see is for the Celtics to hang up banner No. 18.”
The legendary Bob Cousy, at 95 years old. (photo courtesy of Reddit)
And the Boston juggernaut appear to be on the verge of presenting him this gift. Consider this. The Mavs figured they had to put the clamps on both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who had shined in the regular season and the previous playoff match-ups. In Game 1 of this Finals series, Kristaps burned the Mavs, despite an absence of more than a month. In Game 2, it was Jrue who took over. And finally, in Game 3, the duo of Jayson and Jaylen led the Celtic assault. Each time the Mavs focused on ways to check someone, it was time for somebody else to shine. After Boston built a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 lead, not a few felt that it was all over but the shouting. Hence, there was this mischievous thought of a courtesy give-away win in Dallas to give the Celtics a more dramatic ending, winning it all with the homies in Boston. To date, there has never been a successful comeback from a 3–0 series deficit in the NBA.
But you can’t count your eggs before they hatch, of course. The Mavs’ devastating 122-84 win in Game 4 was a historic 38-point humiliation; and it is a confidence-builder that could be a game-changer for the Mavs. Remember the recent Denver Nuggets – Minnesota Timberwolves series with the Nuggets leading 3-2 then, with the series win supposedly a done deal? In Game 6 of that series, the Nuggets allowed the Twolves to trample on them 115 -70, thinking that they could wrap it all up in Denver. Unfortunately, that huge 45-point margin turned out to be a confidence builder for the Twolves, and this would eventually translate to a Game 7 win by the Twolves. With Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving playing relaxed ball now, plus the rest of the crew getting bolder and better, things could certainly get better for the Mavs.
Last year, the Celtics were in a similar 0-3 hole against the Miami Heat in the Eastern conference finals, before they roared back to 3-3. The words: “Don’t let us win 1”, famously spoken by Jaylen Brown after the dust settled in Game 3, could haunt them if they don’t get their acts back together. The Celtics should finish off the Mavs in Game 5 at their home arena at the TD Garden in Boston. If not, the Mavs could be roaring back alive.
Game 5 will be in Boston this Monday. With the much-maligned homecourt advantage with them, will the powerhouse Boston Celtics finish it off to finally win the 2024 NBA title? And secure their 18th title? Or will the Mavs, drawing special inspiration from their huge win today, be able to steal another game? And stage an epic comeback? What you got?
Cover photo courtesy of NBC Sports. Other pics courtesy of the El Paso Times, CNN, ABC 7, Athlon Sports, Spectrum News, and Sports Illustrated. For a closer look, just click on the pics.
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