Mavericks force Game 5, blasting the Celtics 122-84

Sometimes, it’s not that complicated.

“It’s real simple. We don’t have to complicate this. This isn’t surgery,” Jason Kidd said. “Our group was ready to go. They were ready to celebrate. Understand, we made a stand. We were desperate.”

Down the hall, the Celtics shared similar sentiments.

“They played well,” Joe Mazzulla said. “They played really, really well. And that’s the reason why they’re in this: because when they play like that. So I thought they just outplayed us.”

“I felt like they were the better team tonight, clearly,” Al Horford added. “They played much better, and you’ve got to give them credit.”

Every Celtic who spoke at the podium Friday night acknowledged Dallas’ performance. Evidently, Dallas brought their best, while the Celtics did not.

When Dereck Lively II knocked down his first career three-pointer less than midway through the first quarter, it was clear it was Dallas’ night. It’s fitting that three-pointer at the 6:14 mark of the first quarter gave Dallas a lead they never surrendered, cruising to a 122-84 victory.

“Give them credit. They played well tonight, and we didn’t,” Jayson Tatum said. “We had the right mindset and right intentions. We wanted to come out and play super well and win, but it just didn’t go that way tonight. But, you know, we are fortunate. We get another opportunity on Monday.”

What was supposed to be the perfect culmination of a historic season—a sweep in the NBA Finals—turned into one of the biggest beatdowns in the history of the NBA.

The Mavericks’ 38-point margin of victory was the third largest in an NBA Finals game, trailing only the Chicago Bulls’ 42-point win over the Utah Jazz in Game 3 in 1998 and the Celtics’ 39-point win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6 in 2008.

“An ass-kicking,” Derrick White said bluntly when asked how he would sum up the loss. “That’s the simplest way right there.”

Game 4 doesn’t need a deep dive. It’s clear what happened.

The Celtics lacked the discipline, focus, and effort that got them this far. They allowed Dallas’ offense to get to their spots while turning the ball over and getting crushed 52-31 on the glass. Boston’s minus-21 rebound margin was its worst in any playoff game since 1974 and the worst in an NBA Finals game since 1965.

The result? Their most lopsided loss of the season.

“We can say all these things about us. They played much better than us,” Horford said. “They clearly outplayed us, and that’s tough to take, but that’s the reality.”

It’s extremely rare for the Celtics to have a performance like they did in Game 4. They trailed by 20 or more just five times throughout the 82-game regular season. While it’s frustrating and kind of embarrassing to be blown out like that in the NBA Finals, giving a team that appeared dead in the water some new life, there is no reason to get worked up about this loss.

Let’s not forget this team hadn’t lost in over a month. They entered Game 3 on a playoff franchise-record 10-game win streak. Is this team really going to become the first of the 156 NBA teams that have taken a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven series to blow it?

Highly unlikely.

At the end of the day, the loss in Game 4 won’t be remembered as long as they close things out.

“It happened. 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 are typically on the other side. Forty-two of their regular-season wins (67.7%) came by double digits, and nine of their 18 (50%) postseason wins have come by double digits. In the regular season and postseason, they have won an NBA-record 19 games by 25 or more points, and they have 11 wins by 30 points, which is another NBA record.

This is a historic team, and there is only one side of history they are going to end up on.

“We learn from it. We take it. We don’t dismiss it. We’re going to learn from it,” Jaylen Brown said of the loss. “We’re going to see how and why, exactly where the game was won and lost. And then we take those experiences, and then we come out, and we play like our life depends on it. Because it does.”

It’s not the first time the Celtics have been blown out in the NBA Finals. In Finals history, the Celtics have lost six games by 20 or more points. In the ensuing game, Boston is 5-1. History suggests a bounce-back, especially considering this team is 17-3 following a loss this season.

“The one thing I can tell you about our group is that time and time again, we’ve responded any time we have adversity, and this is an opportunity that we have here in front of us,” said Horford. “I expect us to be much better on Monday.”

There was no excuse-making by the Celtics. They called it for what it was: an ass-kicking. Regardless, the Celtics still hold a 3-1 series lead in the NBA Finals and know what they need to do to close things out.

“We’ve got to learn from it,” Jrue Holiday said. “Things that we have to go back and watch. Again, see the things that we should have controlled and done better doing that. But going back and watching film and getting better.”

“We’re going to look at the film and see where we can be better and then go from there,” Brown added. “It’s a great opportunity to respond. Give credit to Dallas. They came out, and they played with force. They played great. We just regroup. We keep our same mentality, and we come out and get ready to fight in another battle on our home floor.”

Heading into Game 5 after a rough loss, the Celtics will undoubtedly be determined to bounce back. The opportunity to clinch the Larry O’Brien Trophy in front of their championship-starved fans will only provide extra motivation.

“I think it’s [TD Garden] going to be as loud as it’s ever been in my seven years of being a Celtic,” Tatum said. “Excited to go back home. Celebrate Father’s Day on Sunday and compete for a championship on Monday. So it should be a lot of fun.”

The Celtics have given fans every reason to believe they will bounce back. They’ve demonstrated resilience all year. While no team plays perfect basketball every game, these Celtics rarely deliver consecutive poor performances.

“As of now, we’ve just got to be better,” Brown said. “We have to meet their intensity. It’s the NBA playoffs. It’s the Finals. Looking forward to the next one.”