DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Boston Celtics by a final score of 122-84 on Friday night in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Dallas now trails Boston 3-1 in the series. The Mavs received impressive performances from stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, while rookie center Dereck Lively II made NBA Finals history. Additionally, a number of role players stepped up in the game.
Tim Hardaway Jr., who has seen his playing time decrease as a result of inconsistent play, scored 15 points on 5-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Hardaway needed to have a performance like that given his previous struggles. His production came after the Mavericks were already in complete control of the contest. Still, perhaps sinking a few shots will help Hardaway get his confidence back.
Dante Exum added 10 points, while Jaden Hardy recorded five points, three rebounds, and four assists. Maxi Kleber added five points while Josh Green finished with three points and five rebounds. Luka Doncic knows the Mavericks need to continue to implement a team effort in order to climb back in the NBA Finals.
“It's big, it's basketball. It's five people on the floor. So that's huge for us,” Doncic said of the team's role players stepping up in Game 4. “Everybody played with a lot of energy. That's how we got to do it. We got to think the same way in Game 5 in Boston.”
Will Mavericks make history in 2024 NBA Finals?
The Mavs still have a lot of work to do. All they can do is take it one game at a time.
Dallas believes in their ability to upset the odds. In fact, despite being counted out in some of their previous playoff series, the Mavs never considered themselves underdogs. Rather, they felt they could compete with any team.
Erasing an 0-3 NBA Finals deficit has never been done before. And there are no guarantees that the Mavs will accomplish the feat. However, if there is a team that could do it, this Mavs squad has a chance. When Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving both play well and Dallas receives positive contributions from their depth, the Mavs instantly become one of the most dangerous teams in the NBA.
“Like I said at the beginning of the series, it's first to four,” Doncic said. “We going to believe until the end. So we just got to keep going. I have big belief in this team that we can do it, so we just got to keep believing.”
Kyrie Irving knows a thing or two about the NBA Finals as well. He has the most experience on the team. Irving addressed the Mavs' mindset given their current situation.
“Yeah, just by putting it into perspective what we're up against,” Irving said. “History is going to be made either way. We'd like to be on the right side of it. It just comes from the same sentiment, same phrase I was using the other day, just putting our best foot forward. We felt like Game 3 we had a good chance to close out that game… We waited until Game 4 to ultimately play our best game. Took long enough for all of us to get to the party together and to play for each other the way we did tonight.
“But it's definitely a possibility that we can replicate it. We understand we're going against the same great Boston team that is going to make it tough. We're going into their home den. We have another opportunity to extend the season. That's all we can ask for. We handled our business tonight. But the job is still an uphill battle, and we understand that.”
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