Things got a bit sloppy during the first quarter of Game 5 of the Western Conference finals between the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves, as both teams turned the ball over on consecutive possessions leading to an utterly chaotic scene.
Fortunately for those viewing back at home, TNT’s Kevin Harlan didn’t miss a beat with his call, providing outstanding commentary of the moment in order to help fans better keep track of who had the ball amid the flurry of possession exchanges.
Even Reggie Miller had to take a moment to express his appreciation for Harlan’s masterful call.
“How did you get that all in there?” he asked while laughing.
Kevin Harlan calls a chaotic sequence and impresses Reggie Miller and Stan Van Gundy. ššļøš pic.twitter.com/BquAbI3yfn
ā Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 31, 2024
A Kyle Anderson turnover led to a mad scramble for possession, with the ball being tipped up in the air and batted toward Josh Green, who then sent a high bounce pass over to Daniel Gafford, who was fouled on at attempt at a layup.
Harlan was locked in, and he didn’t miss a beat as he navigated the hectic play with precision, showcasing why he’s heralded as one of the best in the business.
Game 3 of the NBA Finals is crucial for the Dallas Mavericks, as a loss would all be seal their fate against the Boston Celtics in this series.
Trailing 2-0, Dallas is looking to avoid the dreaded 3-0 series deficit -- something no team has ever come back from in a seven-game series in the history of the league.
On the bright side for Dallas, oddsmakers have favored Luka Doncic and company at home in Game 3.
The spread in Game 3 has moved since Kristaps Porzingis was diagnosed with a torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon on Tuesday.
Porzingis is officially questionable for Game 3, and oddsmakers have moved Dallas from -2 to -2.5 in this game since the Porzingis injury was announced.
Boston has fared well without Porzingis this postseason, but he clearly makes the Celtics a better team, especially after dropping 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field in Game 1.
Can Dallas pick up a win at home to keep its chances to win the Finals alive?
Boston Celtics on the Road
Boston has dominated on the road in the playoffs, going 6-0 straight up against the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers. Can it stay perfect against the Mavericks?
The C's are 22-22-3 against the spread on the road in the 2023-24 season overall, so their playoff performance has been even better.
Boston Celtics as Underdogs
This is just the fourth time this season that the Celtics are underdogs, and it's the first time in five months that they have been in this spot.
Boston is 1-2 against the spread as an underdog in the 2023-24 season. All of those games have come on the road.
Dallas Mavericks at Home
So far this season, Dallas is 25-24 against the spread at home, but that number is slightly better as a home favorite.
The Mavs are 19-17 against the spread as home favorites, although they have lost games at home in every series so far this postseason.
Teams Down 0-2 in Game 3
Dallas is down 0-2 in this series, but there is an interesting trend dating back to 2005 for these teams entering Game 3.
NBA teams down 0-2 at home since 2005:
ā¢ 91-47-1 first half ATS ā¢ 66-70-3 full game ATS
The first half trend has been even lately though, going just 13-14-1 1H ATS since 2020-21 (3-4 this year) pic.twitter.com/ecnq7LaJoo
However, the Celtics are the best team in the NBA against the spread in the first half this season, so bettors may want to be careful about having to lay points with Dallas, who is a slight favorite, in Game 3.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
BOSTONāKristaps Porzingis didnāt want to talk about it.
āIt didnāt work out,ā Porzingis said.
Luka Doncic wanted nothing to do with it.
āMoved on,ā Doncic said.
Tim Hardaway Jr. didnāt want to touch it.
āI think thatās a question for them,ā Hardaway said.
It is the question of why Doncic and Porzingis, teammates for 2Ā½ seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, didnāt pan out. In 2019, Dallas, midway through Doncicās rookie season, made what qualified as a blockbuster trade, flipping a pair of first-round picks to the New York Knicks for a package headlined by Porzingis. In Porzingis, a then-23-year-old forward coming off an All-Star season, the Mavericks believed they had landed an ideal co-star for Doncic who would form the foundation for a title contender. Then-Dallas coach Rick Carlisle likened Doncic and Porzingis to another pair of Mavs stars, Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki.
āOnly these guys,ā Carlisle said, āare taller.ā
It wasnāt. By 2022, Porzingis was gone, offloaded for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans. Porzingisās numbers in his final 34 games in Dallas: 19.2 points on 45.1% shooting, including 28.3% from three.
āWe had some good moments,ā Porzingis said. āWe had some decent moments. Overall I think it didn't work for both sides. It wasnāt perfect.ā
Said Doncic, āI donāt really know. I donāt know why it didnāt work out. We were still both young. We tried to make it work. But it just didnāt work.ā
Ask around the Mavericks about the Porzingis era, one that began with Carlisle as head coach and ended with Jason Kidd, and you hear many of the same things. The relationship with Doncic wasnāt a significant issue. āItās always been good,ā Porzingis insisted. Injuries were certainly a factor. Porzingis was traded while recovering from an ACL tear and tore his meniscus late in his first full season. Porzingis resisted Dallasās analytics-based approach. He struggled in a catch-and-shoot role under Carlisle and couldnāt find a rhythm under Kidd.
āI thought it was going well in the sense of our defense, his ability to block shots, rebound,ā Kidd said. āThen offensively we looked to post him up a little bit more than Rick had used him, which was strictly on the perimeter shooting threes. Both worked. He has the skill set to do both. I thought KP did great for us. But the business of basketball, there was a pivot. So from there things changed.ā
With the Boston Celtics, Porzingis has been the kind of fit the Mavericks had hoped for. He averaged 20.1 points. He shot a career-best 51.5% from the floor. He connected on 37.5% of his threes. He blocked nearly two shots per game, backstopping the NBAās third-rated defense.
Asked when he knew Porzingis would be a good fit, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said, āright away.ā
āI think all he cares about is winning,ā Mazzulla said. āHeās used the experiences heās had around the league. Heās seen a lot. Heās seen it all. Heās seen success. Heās seen tough times. He knows what the league is all about. I think at this point in his career, winning is the most important thing.ā
Indeed, at 28, Porzingis has seen a lot. He was the unicorn in New York, a budding superstar ā¦ until he wasnāt. Dallas was a disaster. He put up numbers with the Washington Wizards for a team going nowhere. Boston afforded him a unique opportunity: a role he was ready for on a team that needed him to win.
āKP essentially did exactly what we needed him to do the entire season,ā Jayson Tatum said. āWhether it was punish switches or space the five man and be in the corner. Sometimes that might be going possessions without touching the ball or it may be when theyāre switching, we give him the ball five times in a row. I give KP a lot of credit. Especially somebody as talented as he is and obviously as tall as he is, a lot of big guys may be stuck in their ways doing what makes him comfortable. He got outside his comfort zone a little bit and it made us a better team.ā
Porzingisās ability to be that player in the NBA Finals is an open question. He has not played since late April, since a calf strain sidelined him. He says he will play in Game 1 on Thursday. Boston did not list him on its injury report. But even Porzingis admits heās not sure how sharp he is going to be.
āI did as much as I could to prepare for this moment,ā Porzingis said. āBut thereās nothing like game minutes and game experience that Iām going to get tomorrow. It will be tough to jump into the Finals like this. I did everything I could to prepare for it and weāll see [Thursday] night.ā
And Dallas? Porzingis is eager to beat the Mavs. But he insists none of it is personal.
āI know at that time there were some rumors thereās like something in the locker room,ā Porzingis said. āIt was never like that. Itās all just noise at the end. It wasnāt just perfect for us playing together. It didnāt work out, thatās it. We moved on. Thereās no, like, ill will from their side, for sure from my side. I donāt think there should be. Just didnāt work out. But I have nothing but love for Dallas and for the teammates and for everybody there.ā
The Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics will face off in the 2024 NBA Finals. While many of the Celtics were on the team that went to the 2022 NBA Finals, some are making their Finals debut. The Mavericks, on the other hand are mostly made of Finals novicesāwith the very obvious exception of Kyrie Irving who hit one of the greatest shots in NBA Finals history against the Golden State Warriors in 2016.
Here are all the players making their NBA Finals debut this year.
Luka DonÄiÄ
It took him a few years, but he finally got here with the help of a ragtag bunch of castoffs that only a home PA announcer could love.
Tim Hardaway Jr.
Hardaway came to Dallas with Kristaps Porzingis and refused to leave. Tim Hardaway's son has now been in the NBA for over a decade and has been a valuable contributor off the bench for many of them. He's only played 13 minutes a night in 10 postseason games this year, but he'll be ready if they need him.
Jaden Hardy
Hardy has averaged just 4.2 points per game in his first postesason, but he's appeared in 14 of the Mavericks 17 playoff games and shot 40% from three. For a 21-year old taken in the second round of the draft who is only in his second season, that's a pretty good contribution.
Dwight Powell
Powell was drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats in June 2014. He was traded to Cleveland two weeks later and then traded to Boston in August. In December he was part of the trade that sent Rajon Rondo to Dallas. While Rondo was gone before the team was eliminated from the playoffs, Powell has been there ever since.
Josh Green
Green was Dallas's first round selection in 2020. He's become a regular contributor and has played in all 17 playoff games, averaging 17 minutes a game for the Mavericks this year.
Dereck Lively II
Lively slipped to the 12th pick in the 2023 draft where he was taken by the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was almost immediately flipped to Dallas, where he contributed whenever healthy. He's come off the bench throughout the playoffs to give the Mavericks an average of eight points, seven rebounds and a block every night.
Dante Exum
Exum was the fifth pick in the 2014 draft and spent his first five seasons in Utah before being traded to Cleveland. Then, he went and played in Spain for two years before returning to the NBA with Dallas. He's given them brief minutes off the bench in the postseason and provided one of the most exciting moments of the entire season.
Maxi Kleber
Kleber was undrafted and signed by the Mavericks in 2017. He's been a decent 3-point shooter and played 20+ minutes a game for the last six seasons. He suffered a shoulder injury in the first round, but returned for Game 5 against the Timberwolves.
A.J. Lawson
Lawson has spent time with the Atlanta Hawks and Minnesota Timberwolves before signing with Dallas in 2022. He appeared in 42 games for the Mavericks this season.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper
Prosper was drafted by the Kings and immediately traded to the Mavericks for cash. He bounced between the Mavericks and Texas Legends as a rookie, averaging three points and two rebounds in 40 NBA games. He has played one minute in the playoffs.
PJ Washington
After many wasted years in Charlotte, he was traded to the Mavericks on February 8th. This was his first trip to the postseason and he and Daniel Gafford celebrated their ascension on Thursday night.
Daniel Gafford
Gafford spent time in Chicago and Washington before Dallas rescued him the same day they picked up Washington. They have both started every game for Dallas during the postseason.
Kristaps PorziÅÄ£is
What a journey. Drafted fourth overall by the New York Knicks in 2015, PorziÅÄ£is was considered a unicorn. After suffering an ACL injury, he was tradedāalong with Tim Hardaway Jr.āto the Dallas Mavericks where people thought he could be the perfect second banana to a young Luka DonÄiÄ. After two first round exits in Dallas he was traded to the Washington Wizards. Then, he was traded again to the Celtics ahead of this season and played really well, but injuries have again limited him in the postseason. He should make his Finals debut.
Oshae Brissett
Brissett made his postseason debut with the Celtics after starting his career with Toronto and Indiana. Despite the lack of experience, he managed to make headlines by tweeting and deleting a message to Miami Heat fans early in the postseason. He has appeared in two of the Celtics last three games.
Svi Mykhailiuk
The Ukranian was taken by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the 2018 draft using a pick that the Denver Nuggets originally traded in 2013. He spent time in Detroit, Oklahoma City Thunder, Toronto, New York and Charlotte before signing with Boston in the offseason. His one basket during the playoffs was a 3-pointer.
Neemias Queta
The 7-foot Portugese center was taken by the Kings in 2021 and signed with Boston during the 2023 offseason. He's been on the floor twice for Boston during the postseason.
Xavier Tillman Sr.
The Grand Rapids native was drafted by the Sacramento Kings out of Michigan State before he was traded to Memphis. He played 30 minutes a game during the Grizzlies first round loss to the Lakers last year. He was traded to Boston at the trade deadline and is playing a bit during this Celtics run so he should see the court in the Finals.
Jaden Springer
Springer was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers late in the first round of the 2021 draft. The Celtics acquired him at the trade deadline.
Jordan Walsh
Walsh was drafted in the second round of the 2023 draft by the Sacramento Kings and traded to Boston in exchange for Colby Jones. Walsh has appeared in nine regular season games and two postseason games so far.
