BOSTON – The simple fact is that the Mavericks now must win four of the next five games, or four in a row if you want to think really optimistically, to finish this season as NBA champions.
So we’re telling you there’s a chance.
But based on the way the Boston Celtics have played in going ahead 2-0 after Sunday’s 105-98 victory at TD Garden, it is testing the faith of the Mavericks’ believers.
The odds certainly are against them. Boston hasn’t lost four of five this season. They only lost two in a row four times in the 82-game regular season and never lost three straight.
Of course, in the Eastern Conference, maybe it’s a little easier to avoid a prolonged skid given the surplus of teams that were nowhere near the Celtics’ level.
Regardless, Game 2 reinforced that the Celtics simply are really, really good. No news flash there.
And they still haven’t gotten what anybody would call a vintage game in the Finals from stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
But what they have gotten is 20 points from Kristaps Porzingis in Game 1 and 26 from Jrue Holiday in Game 2. The Mavericks haven’t had a supporting actor help out Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving. Not to that degree, at least.
And, in fact, Irving has yet to bust loose against the team for whom he once played. He’s averaged just 14 points in the first two games and shot 13-of-37. He has yet to make a three-pointer (0-for-8).
Just add that to the laundry list, which is long. If the Mavericks are going to regain momentum in the series, they will have to fix a lot of things.
With that in mind, here’s our takeaways from Game 2:
Fourth-quarter blues: Yes, the Mavericks outscored the Celtics 24-22 in the quarter, but go a little deeper and the problems are obvious. The Celtics hit 4-of-9 three-pointers, coming alive from deep just in time to save the game. Through three quarters, they were 6-of-30 (20 percent). The Mavericks’ defense wasn’t bad. But the crunch-time play of Derrick White, Brown and Tatum was outstanding. But while the Celtics had a decent-shooting fourth quarter, the Mavericks were 0-for-4 from beyond the arc.
Too many headlights for these deer: The Mavericks are full of players who have never been this far in the playoffs. Sort of like the Celtics were in 2022, when they lost the NBA Finals to Golden State after the Warriors had dispatched the Mavericks in the West finals. So far, the Finals have looked like it’s a prerequisite to fail once before figuring out how to handle basketball’s hottest spotlight. The good news for the Mavericks is that Derrick Jones Jr., P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford all looked more at ease in Game 2 than they did in Game 1. And if the old adage that role players play better at home holds true, the Mavericks should be in better shape come Game 3 on Wednesday. “Yeah, I think we do have quite a few young players,” coach Jason Kidd said. “(It’s important) for them to have fun and enjoy this, and learn from it, and that’s what they are doing. And we’ve counted on them all year, not just here in the Finals. And for them, it’s just a matter of getting comfortable and going back home. Hopefully that will help.”
Luka’s still the man: Bless him for taking blame for missing half of his eight free throws and tossing the ball at the no-smoking sign for eight turnovers. Sometimes, if you don’t make a few miscues, it means you’re not trying hard enough. There is no problem in that regard for Luka Dončić. He’s pushing the envelope as much as he can. You put up a 32-point triple-double in the NBA Finals, you’re working. And he picked off four of the Mavericks’ five steals. All with a chest injury that he suffered in Game 1 that he said cast some doubt about whether he would even play in Game 2. If things continue on the track they are right now, Luka may need a 40-point outburst to get the Mavericks into the win column.
Bench needs to join the party: The Mavericks have gotten virtually nothing from their depth, which was a strength much of the season and in the playoffs. Admittedly, rotations get shortened in the playoffs and even moreso in the Finals when timeouts are even more interminable and there’s two days off between games (except for 3 and 4). But the Mavericks got just nine points on 3-of-12 shooting from Maxi Kleber, Dereck Lively II, Josh Green and Dante Exum. The only three-pointer they made was from Exum. The others were 0-for-5. Boston outscored the Mavericks 17-9 off the bench and they have a distinct advantage since Kristaps Porzingis, who had come off the bench only once in his career before this series, is filling the sixth-man role so far. Don’t expect the Celtics to change that. Why would they?
X: @ESefko
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