DALLAS — Deficits like the one the Dallas Mavericks face in the NBA Finals are never overcome, nor do they interrupt the pride of the team trying to dig itself out of such a deep hole.
Luka Dončić scored 25 of his 29 points in the first half of Game 4 for Dallas, the Mavericks built one of the largest halftime leads ever in a finals game and cruised to a 122-84 win over the Boston Celtics for their first win in this series. The 38-point margin is the third-largest in NBA Finals history.
The Mavericks still trail 3-1, and no team has ever come back to win an NBA playoff series after losing the first three games (0-for-156; 0-for-14 in the finals). Game 5 is at 8:30 p.m. Monday at TD Garden.
A sizable contingent of Celtics fans who flooded American Airlines Arena hoping to see their team win an NBA-record 18th title and become the first to sweep both a conference finals and NBA Finals instead witnessed a bizarre, double whammy of a performance in which Boston’s vaunted defense was shredded and its potent offense was thwarted. The Celtics’ 84 points were their fewest of the season, regular or postseason.
One example of the general malaise: With 7:28 left in the third quarter, Boston had 16 rebounds as a team; Dallas rookie and reserve center Dereck Lively II had 12 boards — by himself.
The Celtics had won 10 in a row and seven straight on the road but found themselves trailing 61-35 at halftime of Game 4. There have been only three halftime deficits larger than those 26 points in NBA Finals history. By the time it was over, Jaylen Brown, the favorite to eventually be named the series’ MVP, had 10 points on 3-of-12 shooting. Jayson Tatum scored 15 points on 4-of-10 shooting.
Before Game 4, Dallas coach Jason Kidd predicted there would come a moment Friday night when one team — either his or the Celtics — would have to decide whether to fold. In Dallas’ case, a concession would mean the offseason; in Boston’s, a punt to Game 5 with a chance to win it all at home.
That moment came definitively with 3:18 left in the third quarter and the Celtics trailing by 36. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla pulled all of his starters and they did not return. Both teams’ starters were out of the game before the third quarter ended.
From Kidd’s perspective, he can be certain his players did not decide to unlace their sneakers for good because of the 3-0 deficit. While Dončić cooked in the first half, the Mavericks also received 21 points from Kyrie Irving and 11 points from Lively.
Prior to the garbage time portion of the game, Dallas’ bench held a sizable advantage over Boston’s reserves. Kidd turned more to Dante Exum in Game 4 and still didn’t get much in the way of points production from starters P.J. Washington, Derrick Jones Jr., and Daniel Gafford, but the Mavericks at least had looks at corner 3s and lob dunks that had been their favorite plays earlier in the playoffs. Until Friday, the Celtics had taken those options away.
In a small twist to the series Boston star center Kristaps Porziņģis was available to play Game 4 but did not appear. Mazzulla cautioned that the 7-footer is “not quite there” in recovering from the tissue tear and tendon displacement near his left ankle, and said the team would only use Porziņģis in “very specific” situation.
None of those arose, and Porziņģis never peeled off his warmups.
Maybe he’ll get a chance Monday.
This story will be updated.
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(Photo: Peter Casey / USA Today)
