A game is never truly a ‘must-win’ until a team is facing elimination. But Game 3 in a best-of-7 series when you are down 0-2 always feels like a must-win. The Mavericks found themselves in that very position last night as the series shifted to Dallas, and the Mavericks hoped to get back in this series.
The Mavericks opened up the game with the help of their home crowd willing them to a 51-50, first half lead. With Kyrie Irving finally making an imprint on a game in the finals, and Luka Doncic doing Luka Doncic things, it felt like the Mavericks might have taken control for the first time in the series. But the Celtics came out in the third quarter looking faster and more synchronized than the Mavs. Offensive possessions looked so routine for the Celtics, swinging the ball around without the ball touching the floor and getting open looks at threes, the ball was simply moving faster than the defenders’ feet. The Mavericks possessions, however, looked labored and dysfunctional, often taking 10-12 seconds to get an offensive play set up. The Mavericks were having to work very hard for shots and in turn that made for many contested shots. Within the blink of an eye, the Celtics opened up a huge second half lead and the Mavericks were thrust into a very uncomfortable position. Down 21 points in the fourth quarter, down 0-2 in the series, it felt like the Mavericks season and championship hopes were dead.
Losing in blowout fashion, at home, to go down three games is a playoff series death sentence, as no NBA team has ever come back from down 0-3 in a playoff series. But the Mavericks fought, hard. They ripped off a 24-7 run down the stretch, coming back from the dead like The Undertaker, to close the deficit to two points. Then, in the midst of this momentous comeback, Luka fouled out. The decision that followed by Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd is one that, in my opinion, cost the Mavericks the game. Kidd decided to challenge the foul, hoping that a hail Mary challenge might keep Luka in the game. It was clearly a foul, but Kidd challenged anyway. The refs spent a few minutes reviewing before ultimately sticking with the call. I personally believe Kidd’s decision to challenge had an adverse effect on his team, killing the momentum they had created by stalling the game for a review. The energy in the building died down, the Celtics got a breather and Celtics head coach, Joe Mazzulla, was able to refocus his team to close out the game.
The Celtics were able to stabilize the Mavericks offense and squeak out a 106-99 victory. My prediction for this series was Celtics in 7. But I will be wrong, and it will be over much sooner than that. Maybe the Mavericks win Game 4 on Friday night, but when (and if) the series goes back to Boston, they will need everything to go their way if they want the series to shift back to Dallas. Game 4 tips off Friday night at 7:30 CT on ABC.
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