The Dallas Mavericks Aren’t Focused On The History Of Their NBA Finals Deficit

BOSTON – It’s arguably the most used cliché in sports.

One game at a time.

When any team is facing a seemingly insurmountable deficit, that’s the phrase you’ll hear. Because it’s the only way to properly cope when your fate is sealed.

But it’s that same mentality that propelled Kyrie Irving to an improbable Finals comeback eight years ago. And he’s about to get another chance for a different franchise.

After falling down 3-0 in the NBA Finals, the Dallas Mavericks were staring down the barrel of NBA history. Throughout the league’s 77-year existence, 156 teams have been in that predicament and tried to mount a comeback. All 156 have failed.

The Mavericks’ defensive composure didn’t show up until Game 4, allowing them to extend their playoff run and showing what the blueprint should be against Boston.

It was the first time in this series they showed any resistance at the point of attack, shutting off driving lanes and rotating flawlessly when the ball found its way in the paint. On the possessions Boston managed to create an advantage, Dallas was flying around defensively on the weakside and containing the Celtics’ drive-and-kick approach.

“I think the most important thing is to show that we believe,” Luka Doncic said. “I think we showed that in Game 4. If not, if we didn’t believe, we probably wouldn’t have won that game. It’s easy to talk about it, but then showing it is another thing. And I think we showed it.”

By digging themselves into a hole — one that nobody has climbed out of — Dallas knows this isn’t your ordinary challenge. This isn’t your typical No. 1 seed they’re facing. It’s a Celtics team that hasn’t lost three consecutive games all year dating back to October. Boston was also due for a playoff loss, having not experienced one in more than a month. Considering the historical context of these Celtics, currently 79-21 on the year, making this series go the distance would be a remarkable feat.

It’s also something the Mavs’ co-stars have experienced in the past.

Irving’s scoring spree helped the Cavaliers overcome a 3-1 deficit in the 2016 NBA Finals against a behemoth Warriors unit that reached an 88-15 record before derailing. Doncic fueled a memorable comeback versus the 2022 Suns after trailing 2-0 in that matchup – winning three out of four against a Phoenix team that peaked with a 70-20 record.

The Mavericks still have a difficult mountain to climb, and nobody on the outside should expect it to happen. Before they can even contemplate making history, they have to find a way to steal Game 5 on the road. Based on the evidence of Games 1 and 2 in TD Garden, that’s an incredibly tall order. Dallas failed to crack 100 points in either game, with Irving’s production looking as pedestrian as it did when he last played for the Celtics in 2019.

But if there’s two players that can turn this around, it would absolutely be the dynamic offensive talents of Doncic and Irving — two guys that have counters to your coverages and can thrive in isolation if that’s what the situation calls for.

If they do shock Boston and send the series back to Dallas, that’s when the pressure intensifies for the Celtics. They would start feeling the same nervous energy Miami likely felt a year ago, when Boston crawled back to tie the East Finals at 3-3.

Dallas is looking to become the fifth team in NBA history to force a Game 7 after trailing 3-0 in a series. If it reaches that point, they would join this group:

• 1951 New York Knicks in the NBA Finals, losing to the Rochester Royals
• 1994 Denver Nuggets in the second round, losing to the Utah Jazz
• 2003 Portland Trail Blazers in the first round, losing to the Dallas Mavericks
• 2023 Boston Celtics in the East Finals, losing to the Miami Heat

It would be some cruel history if, 12 months later, Boston has to live through such a scare.

If you were around the Mavericks this week, you wouldn’t even know they are up against history. They are calm and relaxed despite the adversity. Maybe it’s because of the ‘one game at a time’ mantra. Or maybe it’s Irving keeping everyone loose and free.

Irving is one of the veteran leaders of this Mavs unit. Having played in 95 playoff games, he’s been in practically every scenario imaginable. Down 3-0, leading 3-0, tied 3-3 heading into a Game 7. You name it, he’s seen it. At age 32, Irving has moved into the next phase of his career and is embracing the leadership role expected of him.

That’s why when reporters noticed the Mavericks in a joyous mood during Sunday’s open practice and asked Irving about their mental state, he made something abundantly clear. There’s room between extreme preparation and your team appearing carefree. Not every team has to resemble the 1990s Bulls or 2000s Spurs, groups that took on the personality of their fierce (or boring) leaders.

“I don’t want you to mistake us smiling and joking around with each other and being in practice for a weakness, or that we are not taking this any more serious than we were in Game 4,” Irving said. “I just think we are here in Boston and just trying to settle ourselves. We had a meeting, just as a squad at the hotel, where we went over film. So we were pretty locked in from there, and there was some carryover into our early minutes at practice. And then when [the media] comes in, we’re pretty much having fun. It’s been this way since we were kids.”

To Irving’s point, it’s still critical for athletes to soak in the experience of being on the Finals stage. If anything, it should be a positive sign Dallas is enjoying the process and feeling loose. If they weren’t having a good time, it could be spun as a lack of confidence or their anticipation of this series ending quickly.

The Mavericks’ chemistry has been exceptional since they remade their rotation at the trade deadline. It’s important they lean into that and get even closer during these situations, which are undoubtedly stress-inducing. Just because Dallas escaped the West and reached this point, it doesn’t mean they are guaranteed to return. Ask the 2012 Thunder, a group that figured it was set up for the next decade but ultimately ran into various roadblocks and never made the Finals again.

“We want to make sure we relish in this moment, don’t take it for granted and just ground ourselves here, too,” Irving added. “I think the last two games, we were more intense when we were here in Boston. Don’t think we got as settled as we would have liked. So, we just wanted to try some things a little differently, a little bit more smiling. And then 24 hours from now, getting ready for all-out battle against this great Celtics team.”

But how does a team actually focus on one singular game, or ignore the bigger picture when the odds are stacked against them? After all, with multiple days between games in this series, there’s often too much downtime for players. They hear everything, even when they try to block it out. They hear the commentary about how it’s only a matter of time before Boston hosts a championship parade.

“By just thinking about the goal that we have in front of us as best we can, and try not to get tired of everyone talking about the history that has not been made,” Irving said. “I’ve said it over the past 48 hours, just putting our best foot forward and just simplifying things. It’s basketball. Win or lose, that’s all that can happen. Just want to be as prepared as we can for whatever the environment is going to be like in terms of what’s expected from you.”

As Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd put it, Dallas has to focus on the details within each game. Their biggest adjustment in Game 4 was truly playing with more defensive pride and effort, keeping the ball out of the paint as much as possible.

They also played with intentionality on the offensive end, not overthinking on their drives or letting the Celtics bait them into costly mistakes. On the Mavericks’ 49 drives to the paint in Game 4, they shot 17-of-30 (56.7%), passed it out 17 times, and only turned it over once.

So, how do the Mavericks maintain their ‘one game at a time’ approach and repeat that performance?

“I think what helps is we were already in that situation last game,” Kidd said. “So, not to change or deviate from what we talked about in Game 4. It’s just ‘take each possession one possession at a time’, and hopefully we can put ourselves up by winning each quarter. We ended up doing that [in Game 4]. It’s the same thing we are talking about today and tomorrow – we can only focus on Game 5, and trying to find a way to win here in Boston.”

Dallas isn’t just happy to be here. They want to shock the world. But it starts with executing the smaller goals and building team camaraderie through the adversity.

“What I’m sharing with my teammates now is just enjoy the moment,” Irving said. “We accomplished one of our goals, which was to make it back to Boston. We have another goal in front of us, and that’s to make it back to Dallas.”