DALLAS -- Everything you need to know about the Celtics Game 4 loss to the Mavericks, with BSJ insight and analysis
IN A NUTSHELL
The Celtics and Mavs played some back-and-forth basketball for the first few minutes with Boston holding an early 11-10 lead. Everything fell apart after that. The Celtics were outscored 24-10 the rest of the quarter, 27-14 in the second, and 31-25 in the third. The Celtics shot like hot garbage, they didn’t rebound, and they didn’t defend. The result was one of the worst losses in NBA Finals history.
HEADLINES
- Undisciplined basketball: The hallmark of this team in the Finals has been their discipline and focus. They came out with none of that. They allowed the lob dunks and corner 3-pointers they had taken away all series, they gave up offensive rebounds, and they turned the ball over.
- Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown stinkers: It feels like they tried to do too much on their own to answer an early Dallas run and things got out of control. Tatum especially looked to get to the rim and draw fouls that weren’t called instead of spraying the ball and relying on his teammates. When the frustration set in, they doubled down.
- A chance to win at home: There have only been nine sweeps in NBA history and teams that have gone up 3-0 are 156-0 in playoff history. So I still feel pretty good about where the Celtics are. The term gentleman’s sweep exists for a reason. The Celtics now get to stew in the juices of brutal loss, learn from it, and close out a championship in front of their home fans. All things considered, that's not bad at all.
TURNING POINT
The Mavs 24-10 close to the first was all it took. The Celtics never could get anything going all night long, so even when there were pockets of opportunity, they could never cash in.
THING I LIKED
- Sam Hauser: On a night Boston couldn't hit a damn thing, Hauser was 4-6 from 3. It’s rare for Boston to lose, especially this badly, when Hauser is that hot from 3.
THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE
- Lack of poise: It felt like the Celtics tried too hard to answer Dallas’ first-quarter run instead of just playing through it like they normally have. Tatum and Brown both forced things a little too much at the rim. Everyone seemed to make bad decisions. They lost guys for offensive rebounds and open 3-pointers. They seemed to get away from their game plan for the first time this series.
“I've been in a lot of these, and usually by the second game, you're making adjustments. Third game, you're making another adjustment, and that's kind of how it is,” Al Horford said. “And for us, we've had the first three games, we didn't really make any adjustments. So today, they did something. We have to see what we can -- how we can be better and prepare for it. That's kind of where we're at right now.”
- Tatum and Brown: Not much more to say, really. They both stunk, made bad decisions, and shot poorly. They weren’t alone, but they both had been so good in this series that it was jarring to see.
- (No) Supporting cast: Derrick White only scored six points, Jrue Holiday scored 10, and Horford only three on the only shot he took. Holiday had five turnovers and was a team-worst -38. Boston never wins when those three guys aren't contributors.
- Ice-cold shooting: Boston shot 36.3% from the field. Through the first three quarters (the entire fourth was garbage time), they were 20-54 from the field while Dallas was 35-69. 14 Boston turnovers helped Dallas get those extra 15 shots.
HIGHLIGHTS
Yeah, right.
TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
- It happens.
Teams have been blown out before in an NBA Finals game and still gone on to win the series. It has happened in much worse situations for the losing team. So this isn’t a big deal at all.
“We can't change what happened tonight,” Tatum said. “We always say you lose by two or you lose by 30; they all count the same. But we do need to be better. We're not making any excuses. We need to be better, and we will. We will be better.”
The Celtics all made it a point to credit the Mavs. They all made it a point to say Dallas played harder and played better. And all of that is true.
But one thing that will be forgotten about this blowout is how many opportunities Boston had early on to stem the tide but they either turned the ball over or missed shots. When the Mavs only had two points over three minutes to start the third, Boston missed three shots, turned the ball over once, and missed one of two free throws. That's eight potential points that could have made it a single-digit game.
They’ll go back to Boston and be better.
- I hope this doesn’t lead to some guys getting their confidence back
If there's one thing that worries me, it’s Tim Hardaway, Jr. going 5-7 from 3 in garbage time. It probably doesn’t matter much because carryover from game to game is a little overrated, but guys playing like garbage after falling out of the rotation and losing confidence scare me after hot shooting nights. I know he’s capable of these nights, so seeing a few fall isn’t my favorite thing in the world.
Next up: Game 5 is Monday night in Boston at 8:30
