Photo Courtesy: Dominic Ceraldi
By DaVince “Dino” Wright
The Dallas Mavericks played with some serious intensity in Game 4. Luka Doncic did not antagonize the refs. The team avoided being swept at home on Friday night. I predicted a close win for Game 4. This game was anything but close. Now we’re treated to Game 5 to see if the Mavs can win back to back games to force a Game 6. So here’s my recap from the last game and my Game 5 preview.
What Happened in Game 4
The Dallas Mavericks finally showed up! The 38-point drumming of Boston in Dallas for Game 4 is exactly what the Mavericks needed to boost their confidence heading back to Boston for tonight’s Game 5 match up. Dallas can beat the Celtics in Boston if they can continue to apply pressure and rebound the ball. In Game 4 Dallas came out and hit Boston in the mouth! This is how they did it. They cut off the Celtics guards from getting into the paint for easy layups. Dallas out rebounded Boston 52-31 and shot 40.5% from the 3-point line. Dallas hit clutch free throws to extend the lead when Boston made their runs. Luka Doncic played some decent defense on Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. This allowed the Mavs to execute quick rebounds and moving the ball down the court for easy transition buckets.
What to watch for:
Dallas will need to apply pressure early and often. In Game 4 Dallas played lights out and if they like they played in their last game they could win Game 5 by 20 points easily. Look for Dallas to continue to use the bench to rest key players while maintaining the lead. It was good seeing Kyrie Irving control the offense and allowing Luka Doncic to get into the paint. Dallas outscored Boston in the paint while controlling the boards on the defensive end. Keep an eye on Dallas cutting off easy drives to the baskets and rotating on defense.
Players to watch:
The Mavericks bench will be the key for this team to steal Game 5 in Boston. Remember each player has 6 fouls and touching up Boston will be the key to slowing them down at home. Keep in mind that Dallas has made runs of 6 plus straight wins this season 4 times. Just because a team hasn’t come back from an 0-3 deficit to win an NBA championship means nothing. There’s a chance that Dallas could do this! If Dallas steals this game the series will swing in Dallas’ favor. The winner of Game 5 usually wins the championship! FACTS!
Game 5 – Boston Leads Series (3-1)
Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics
Date: June 17
Time: 7:30 PM
TV: ABC
Let’s talk about history. There has never been a team to come back from a 3-game deficit to win a championship series. The winner of game 5’s in the championship series have gone on to win 91% of the championships. Finally, the last player to win a scoring title and championship in the same year was Shaq in 1998-99. Dallas can and will rewrite history this year. ESPN has the Celtics with a 67.6% chance of winning Game 5. I’m taking Dallas by 10 points heading back to Dallas to win Game 6 extending this series to 7 games. You think I’m crazy? So, what! It’s true …It’s damn true!
Final Score: Mavericks 119 – Celtics 109
