The Dallas Mavericks are back in the northeast to play the Boston Celtics for Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The game starts at 7:30 pm CST and will be broadcast nationally by ABC. Dallas forced Game 5 with a dominating performance in Game 4, blowing the Celtics right off the floor. Now that Boston is back at home, they’ll have the crowd at their backs and the pressure to win now. Dallas is playing bonus basketball at this point. They played for their lives once, won, and are now trying to do so again. It’s a different kind of pressure entirely. But I think this team lives for pressure. Here’s the main things to know before the game:
- WHO: Dallas Mavericks at Boston Celtics
- WHAT: Game 2 of the NBA Finals
- WHERE: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
- WHEN: 7:30 p.m. CST
- HOW: ABC
On the injury report, Luka Doncic is listed as probable with his array of nagging injuries. Kristaps Porzingis is questionable with his bizarre ankle injury. Expect Luka to play and I expect Porzingis will sit. Or at least he won’t play much and only in specific circumstances.
They lost games two and three just so. Dallas won Game 4 with a classic team performance. Game 5 might require perfection. But not the kind you’re thinking of, they don’t have to hit every shot or make every play. But like in the clip above from the Friday Night Lights movie, they must play for each other and within the scope of what got them here to begin with. If they do that, it they lay it all out there again, I believe they will win. If they do this and don’t win, well, that’s enough for me.
We’ll be back after the game with our usual stuff. Thanks so much for hanging out here at Mavs Moneyball. Till the end. Let’s go Mavs.