DALLAS — Parade plans had already been made, and the nationwide media spent days discussing whether or not the Celtics had been primed to develop into a dynasty. However 48 minutes of “particulars”, as Joe Mazzulla likes to name them, stood between the Celtics and Banner 18.
Mazzulla routinely stresses the small print, the margins – rebounding, turnovers, shot makes an attempt – as central to what the Celtics try to perform. A lot in order that when he was requested yesterday morning about whether or not the gamers relish the possibility to compete for a championship, he stated: ““I don’t know. I do know they relish the margins, doing the issues that go into profitable.”
In Recreation 4, the margins might haven’t have been extra lopsided in Dallas’s favor. The Mavericks out-rebounded the Celtics 65-39 – together with 29-13 within the first half. They turned the ball over 13 occasions to the Mavs’ 8. Whereas Dallas tried 91 photographs, the Celtics tried 80.
“They got here out tremendous aggressive,” Jayson Tatum stated postgame. “They performed extraordinarily quick and took extra photographs than we did. They had been actually concentrating on attacking the offensive glass. They bought far more rebounds than we did.”
Tatum — who has led the crew in rebounding with 9.8 boards per recreation this postseason — completed with 5, his lowest whole of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
Dereck Energetic II led the rebounding cost for Dallas, grabbing six offensive rebounds en path to a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double. No participant on the Celtics grabbed greater than 5 rebounds all evening.
“D-Dwell was nice,” Jason Kidd stated. “His vitality was nice, his capability to present us second alternatives.”
Joe Mazzulla spent most of his postgame presser praising the Mavericks quite than criticizing the Celtics’ efficiency.
“I believed Dallas performed nice. Give loads of credit score to them,” Mazzulla stated. “All their guys, whoever went in — well-balanced. Thought they performed with a ton of vitality and physicality. You’ve bought to present them that. And they’re an important crew, and that’s Dallas, that’s the explanation why they’re right here — once they play like that.”
That sentiment — that the sport’s consequence was extra of a mirrored image of Dallas’s elite play — was echoed by a lot of the Celtics gamers who spoke postgame.
“I believe it was extra about Dallas,” Al Horford stated. “I felt like they had been the higher crew tonight, clearly. They performed significantly better.”
“I believe they performed exhausting bodily,” Jaylen Brown stated. “After which they dominated the glass,” “I believe that was the important thing that put loads of stress on us.”
Derrick White had essentially the most vital quote of the evening.
“As we’ve seen at present, they only performed more durable, and that’s unacceptable,” White stated.
The Celtics ended up getting blown out 122-84, the third-largest defeat in NBA Finals historical past and an consequence that few might have predicted.
The Mavs outscored the Celtics 60-26 in factors within the paint and 16-2 in second-chance alternatives, a departure from earlier video games. And whereas the 14-point benefit on follow-up alternatives was removed from the one drawback — Tatum himself identified the Celtics’ offensive stagnation — the uncharacteristic errors on the glass gave the Mavs life when the collection was almost over.
The Celtics spent two days discussing how they didn’t wish to overlook Recreation 4 en path to a championship, however nonetheless got here out flat when confronted with the chance to give attention to the small print.
“Preparation doesn’t assure an automated success,” Mazzulla stated. “I believed we had an important course of, I believed we had an important shootaround, I believed we had an important movie session yesterday. I believed the fellows got here out with the best intentions.”
Joe Mazzulla: “Preparation doesn’t assure an automated success — I believed we had an important course of, I believed we had an important shootaround, I believed we had an important movie session yesterday. I believed the fellows got here out with the best intentions.” pic.twitter.com/LRIhPPxhv8
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzellNBA) June 15, 2024
They’ll get one other probability at a title on Monday, however they’ll must be the harder-playing crew with a view to obtain that dream.
“We’re going to see how and why, precisely the place the sport was gained and misplaced,” Brown stated. “After which we take these experiences after which we come out and we play like our life is dependent upon it. As a result of it does.”
