The Boston Celtics are one win away from the 2024 NBA title – and they deserved it.
Boston built its fourth-quarter lead to 21 points before a frenzied Dallas Mavericks rally turned Wednesday’s Game 3 into a roller coaster. However, the Celtics withstood any late charges from the Mavericks, who lost superstar guard Luka Doncic in the final minutes after fouling out on a controversial block, and took a 3-0 lead in the final behind a 106- 99 in Dallas. .
The Celtics also won despite big man Kristaps Porzingis being sidelined with a leg injury. His status remains day-to-day, but ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that there is “real doubt” about Porzingis’ status moving forward.
How did Boston overcome Porzingis’ injury and delay Dallas’ late rally? Are these Finals headed for a Celtics sweep? Our NBA Insiders break down the wild ending to Game 3, Doncic’s uneven performance and what lies ahead in Game 4 on Friday (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
What was your biggest takeaway from the Celtics’ Game 3 win?
Tim Bontemps: That Boston still hasn’t done it enough got rid of all his bad habits but still has enough talent to close out this series. The fourth quarter was a highlight of Boston’s past problems: poor offensive execution, lapses in concentration and overall head-scratching decision-making. But after giving up a 22-2 run that allowed Dallas to get back within a point, Boston was able to lock in defensively down the stretch. It was enough to move the Celtics one victory away from an NBA-record 18th championship — although it became much more stressful than it should have been.
Chris Herring: The Celtics are inevitable. It didn’t matter that Porzingis wasn’t there, because Xavier Tillman could hold his own in his minutes. It doesn’t matter that Kyrie Irving finally finds his offense, just like Jayson Tatum. It didn’t matter that the Mavericks took their largest lead of the series early in Game 3, because Boston got a supernatural performance from Jaylen Brown in the third quarter and managed to escape after doing just enough to delay a run late and furious from Dallas.
Brian Windhorst: The Celtics have finally gotten over the hump and have one hand on banner #18. They had to survive their late-game demons, perhaps just to make it look like they deserved it. Boston has lost a handful of playoff games in this exact manner over the past few years, and during that 20-2 fourth-quarter run, there was that old uneasy feeling. But the Celtics stars all played a game or two — and collectively, it was enough, mainly because they now have so many stars. And it’s time to celebrate them, because they earned it the Celtics way.
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Windhorst speaks on Luka’s performance in the NBA Finals
Brian Windhorst weighs in on Luka Doncic’s performance after the Mavericks star player fouled out in Game 3.
Fill in the blank: Luka Doncic’s performance in Game 3 was ______.
Horst: Completely unacceptable. No one can say anything to Doncic. Neither the teammates, nor the coaches, nor the managers, nor the media, nor the supporters, nor the referees. There have been a lot of pleas and promises that he would improve, but this one is going to leave a mark. He’s a truly brilliant, once-in-a-generation player. But he’s going to have to look in the mirror and face his weaknesses before he finds himself on the other side of a final. His defensive efforts in those Finals simply crushed his team, his complaints to the refs are painful, and his frustrated fouls probably cost his team a chance to make it into a series because he fouled. He’s one of the biggest stars in the league, which means he’s held to a higher standard, especially at this level. He failed to achieve that in this match, and he’s going to have to deal with it whether he likes it or not.
Good time: Not good enough. Doncic scored a lot of points, but the Celtics once again put the clamps on Doncic and Irving’s teammates, forcing the duo to try to beat the best offense in NBA history on their own. And for all their individual brilliance, it would never be enough for Dallas to win. And Doncic’s defense – which was a pervasive problem in the first two games of this series – was even worse in Game 3. Boston has the ability to put more pressure on Doncic than virtually any other team in the league by having either Brown or Jrue Holiday attack him 94 feet defensively while any Boston perimeter player attacks him ON the other side. And as this series continued, it seemed to take a toll on Doncic’s energy levels, leading to some of the fouls that led to him fouling out in Game 3.
Herring: Amazing in some ways. Some of his baskets were absolutely beautiful. But the nature of some of the looks he created, for himself and his teammates, still weren’t enough for any part of the game. (That’s not even talking about the times he failed to come back defensively after a call went against him, particularly on two plays to end the first quarter, which helped Boston pick up five quick points.) The third quarter, in particular, there had a huge contrast in style: the Mavs made 21 shots, including 15 off a dribble, while the Celtics made 20 attempts, only seven of which came off a dribble. The quality of looks has always been the difference in this series, as Doncic and Irving have to work too hard to simply stay close.
What will it take for the Celtics to complete the sweep?
Good time: Not going back to its bad habits, which were on display in the fourth quarter of Game 3. For most of this series, Boston has stuck to its process even when shots aren’t falling and things aren’t working perfectly, and this paid disabled. Then came the final 10 minutes of Game 3, when the Celtics blew a 21-point lead. If Boston stays true to themselves, they should win Game 4. If they do what they did late in this one, then the Mavericks can absolutely throw this series back to Boston.
Herring: Don’t overthink the situation. The way they play naturally, with ball movement and solid defense – both individually and as a unit – is more than enough to beat this Dallas club, even when the Celtics aren’t at full strength. Like Tim said, they just need to stay away from the hero-ball tendencies they sometimes exhibit. A championship is within their reach, and they just need to continue playing team basketball, which has repeatedly proven to survive the Mavs’ system that relies on one-on-one looks.
Horst: The Celtics began this journey when they made the Kevin Garnett-Paul Pierce trade with the Brooklyn Nets in 2013. They methodically added players, made shrewd trades, experienced setbacks, overcame playoff deficits, retooled their squad and achieved a significant change of coach. , have perfected their style and created a near-perfect team for 2024. Whether the sweep happens or not, Boston has put together a brilliant team that managed to peak at the right time, and that should be celebrated once the series is over .