It’s one of the NBA’s most recognised stats, no team has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit in the playoffs.
Can the Dallas Mavericks be the first, and do it in the NBA Finals, after dominating the Boston Celtics 122-84 in Game 4?
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While stressing they have to take it “game by game” and “play by play”, rookie Dereck Lively II had a few interesting comments in a sideline interview with ESPN’s Lisa Salters during the blowout.
“We figured out what their game plan is, we figured out what schemes they like to run,” he said after the third quarter.
It remains to be seen whether that is the case or if the Celtics, potentially with a healthy Kristaps Porzingis, can close out the series in Boston on Tuesday (AEST).
But this was definitely a step in the right direction for the Mavericks, who claimed the third-biggest win in NBA Finals history on the back of some consistent defensive intensity.
Dallas duo Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving combined for 50 points and enjoyed an early rest given how quickly the game got out of hand, while Australian pair Josh Green and Dante Exum also shone for the Mavericks.
Dallas jumped out to a 4-0 lead before back-to-back turnovers flipped early momentum in Boston’s favour, with Jayson Tatum draining a 3-pointer and two free throws to put the Celtics up 7-4.
Doncic answered back with his second and then third buckets of the game as Dallas had plenty of success attacking the paint, with Irving doing the same as the Mavericks went ahead 10-9.
All 10 of Dallas’ points had come in the paint at that point and while it was a promising sign early for the Mavericks, they had similar success early in Game 3 before quickly falling behind.
On this occasion though, the consistent effort to get into the paint from Doncic was helping create open looks for teammates, as was the case when Lively made a corner 3-pointer after Tatum helped onto a driving Doncic.
The Mavericks were able to open up double-digit leads on multiple occasions in the first quarter, finishing the period on top 34-21 after back-to-back triples from Irving and P.J. Washington.
While it may not show up on the box score, Green impressed in his minutes with his energy and hustle on both ends, fighting for rebounds and flying for a putback dunk on an Irving miss.
Green carried that energy into the second quarter as he came up with an early steal on Tatum before Exum, seeing his first minutes of the game, finished at the rim.
Exum then knocked down a 3-pointer and while it was later ruled he had put a foot out of bounds, the Australian made no mistake soon after as he made a triple to put Dallas ahead 39-25.
Exum finished on 10 points, with Mavericks coach Jason Kidd full of praise for the Australian in his post-game press conference.
“Exum has played at a high level for us all season. He’s been able to run the offence. He stepped up and made big shots for us to win,” Kidd said.
“Then I thought tonight even the one he shot from out of bounds, he made it, that could easily have changed his confidence. He was aggressive while he was out on the floor. He was great. We’re going to need that on the road.”
Doncic scored eight of Dallas’ next 11 points as the Mavericks went on a 11-0 run to extend their lead to 50-25, with Boston starting the second quarter 1-of-8 from the field.
The Celtics had dominated the series previously on the back of their superior ball movement but on Saturday the Mavericks were setting the tone on the defensive end, working hard to rotate and forcing the Celtics into tough shots.
Boston’s 35 points at halftime was its lowest output under coach Joe Mazzulla all season, with Tatum (15) the team’s leading scorer while Jaylen Brown had eight points.
Doncic, meanwhile, scored 25 points in the first half alone and the Mavericks showed no signs of slowing down, going on to win 122-84.
“This is stunning,” Mike Breen noted in commentary, describing it as an “all-time playoff performance” from Dallas.
Porzingis, who missed Game 3 with injury, was available to play but Mazzulla said pre-game the team is only going to use him in “very specific instances if necessary”.
In the end, Boston did not have any reason to risk him as Dallas finished dominant winners and kept the season alive.
Originally published as Dallas rookie’s huge NBA Finals call after Mavs destroy Celtics