There were two options for the Mavericks. Both involved packing a suitcase, whether to travel to Boston or go on vacation.
The break will have to wait, and the Mavs are delighted about it.
Luka Doncic scored 29 points, including 25 in a frenetic first half, and Dallas flatly refused to be swept in the NBA Finals, crushing the Celtics 122-84 on Friday.
The Finals are not over, thanks to one of the worst beatings in these instances.
“It’s pretty simple. We don’t have to complicate things. It’s not surgery,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “Our team was ready to play. The rivals were ready to celebrate but we have given an argument. “We were desperate and we have to keep playing like that.”
Kyrie Irving added 21 points as the Mavs survived in Game 4. The two Dallas stars had the luxury of leaving at the end of the third period, when the Celtics were left with no chance of rescuing this duel.
Dallas dominated the match from start to finish. They took a lead of 13 points after just one quarter, extended it to 26 at intermission and reached 48 in the third quarter, before both teams signed the result and sent their respective substitutes to play.
“They try to close the door, but the hardest thing in this league is to do it against a group that has nothing to lose,” Kidd explained. “Tonight they saw that.”
The final margin of 38 points represented the third worst blowout in an NBA Finals game in history, only behind the 96-54 that Chicago gave to Utah in 1998 and the 131-92 achieved by the Celtics against the Lakers of Los Angeles in 2008.
The worst blow that the Celtics had suffered before Friday in the Finals dated back to 1984, when they lost 137-104 to the Lakers.
This one was worse. At times, much worse.
The 48 points that Dallas led represent the worst deficit the Celtics have faced all season.
The Celtics saw their lead reduced to 3-1. They will host the fifth game on Monday.
“Preparation does not guarantee automatic success,” explained Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. “I think we had a great shootaround. I think we had a great video session yesterday and the guys came in with the right intentions. I just think things didn’t go our way and Dallas outplayed us. He played harder.”
It was Boston’s first loss in five weeks. The Celtics had won 10 straight postseason games, the longest streak in franchise history.
In addition, Boston missed the opportunity to be the first team in history to win the conference finals and the Finals by 4-0 sweeps.
Jayson Tatum scored 15 points, Sam Hauser added 14, while Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday finished with 10 each for the Celtics.
“This doesn’t change anything,” Doncic said. “As I said at the beginning of the series, it is the first win of four, and we have to continue believing until the end.”
