Celtics need to deliver final blow

The Dallas Mavericks put the expected “Boston C Party” on hold by taking Game 4 of the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals.

Before this game, the Mavericks hadn’t played to their team identity consistently, having been forced out of their comfort zone by a tenacious Boston defense. That all changed in Game 4. From start to finish, the Mavs set the tone on both ends of the court to secure their first win in this series by essentially returning the favor and taking the Celtics out of their rhythm.

“We were locked in especially on the defensive end. Everybody played with a lot of energy,” Mavs superstar Luka Doncic said.

The difference in energy and hustle was evident in the box score.

The Mavericks’ statistics topped virtually every category when compared to Games 1 to 3: They shot the ball better and more often, they sank more than 10 three-point shots for the first time this series, they were +4.3 on offensive rebounds and +9 on rebounds overall and were +6 on assists.

Also, for the first time, their defense limited Boston’s output in two key areas: Field goal percentage was kept to below 40 percent and assists to below 20.

With that, the Celtics’ drive-and-kick offense was not as successful. At times, it seemed like Jayson Tatum was overeager to finish off the Mavs as he forced a number of his shots. This short-circuited the offensive flow that helped the Celtics win the first three games at the TD Garden in Boston.

“This is the most stagnant we’ve been (in) this series, the worst job of owning our space on the offensive end and doing what we wanted to do instead of what they were forcing us to do,” Tatum said.

The Celtics have only lost three times these entire playoffs.

Comparing these losses to the games they’ve won, the team gave up close to 19 more points per 100 possessions, averaged nearly 7 percent less on field goal percentage, made four less three-point shots, and averaged nine less rebounds and four less assists.

Be that as it may, give Boston a pass.

The Celtics have clearly been the best team all season. And this is the first Finals closeout game attempted by the current edition of what is arguably the most successful franchise in NBA history. Given the novelty and enormity of the moment, their performance can most likely be credited to a case of getting too excited.

“We had the right mindset and right intentions. It just didn’t go that way tonight. We’re fortunate we get another opportunity on Tuesday (Manila time),” Tatum said.

This by no means trivializes what the Mavs accomplished.

Game 4 is the most comfortable they’ve been all series long. If they can sustain their level of play and fend off any potential adjustments that Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla will implement, the rest of the series should be competitive and entertaining.

One thing is certain: After finally winning one, Mavs leader Kyrie Irving is ready for the daunting task of winning three more.

“It took long enough for all of us to play for each other the way we played (in Game 4). We play better offensively when we’re getting stops, when we’re able to push the pace and get easy opportunities in transition, which we weren’t doing the past few games. It’s a team game. We just need to continue to support each other (in this series),” Irving said.

If Boston responds in Game 5 the same way they did after their two previous playoff losses to the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers, expect it to play lockdown defense, disrupt the Mavs’ offensive sets, and create easy transition opportunities.

The Celtics should also space the floor better on offense, allow Tatum and Jaylen Brown to take advantage of defensive mismatches and find open shooters, and challenge the defense in order to get to the free throw line more often.

Boston is still in control of this series and would love to secure the championship on their home floor in Game 5. But if Dallas plays with the same swagger they had in Game 4, they may just steal one at TD Garden. If they do, there will be a definite shift in momentum between these two hungry teams.

But if Dallas coach Jason Kidd will have his way, he wants the Mavs to continue playing with controlled desperation to win the next game.

“Our group was ready to go,” Kidd said.

“(The Celtics) were ready to celebrate. We made a stand. We were desperate and we’ve got to continue to keep playing that way. We have nothing to lose going to Boston.”

Michael Yu is a freelance writer based in New York. He is the former Human Resources head of NBA Asia and senior Human Resources director at the NBA Headquarters in New York.