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.
The Boston Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks 105ā98 in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night, yet any good feelings about taking a 2ā0 series lead were somewhat quelled due to the uncertain health status of the team's star center.
During the fourth quarter, Kristaps PorziÅÄ£is hurt his leg going for a loose ball against Dallas guard P.J. Washington. He stepped awkwardly, hopped and fell down. He then ran up and down the floor a few times with his leg clearly bothering him. At the next dead ball he was replaced by Al Horford and never returned. Here's the play where he was injured.
PorziÅÄ£is remained on the bench, appearing to stretch his calf. The interesting thing here is that he appears to be stretching his left calf. He just missed a month of the postseason with a right calf injury. He returned for Game 1 and was awesome.
If PorziÅÄ£is has a new injury to deal with, it could make the Finals interesting. Dallas lost the first games of their first and second round series and were tied 2ā2 in both before eventually winning. If PorziÅÄ£is is hobbled, the Mavericks have a chance to even the series in Dallas. Boston fans might be holding their breath waiting for an update, but coach Joe Mazzulla is optimistic, saying after the game that he had "zero concern" about PorziÅÄ£is's health status.
The Boston Celtics are a win away from an 18th NBA title and can do it on the road in Dallas in Game 4 on Friday night.
The Celtics used a second-half surge to get past the Mavericks in Game 3 and will look to maintain its defensive form en route to a title-winning Game 4 on Friday night. While Kyrie Irving got on track in Game 3, Dallas couldnāt get a top effort from star Luka Doncic, who fouled out for the first time in his postseason career in the loss.
Despite leading 3-0, Boston is a small underdog on the road. Will Dallas extend the series back to Boston, or is this series a wrap?
Jayson Tatum: Tatum isnāt scoring all that efficiently, shooting about 36% from the field, but has been able to do it all by averaging nearly nine rebounds and seven assists to go with 21 points per game. He has been invaluable on defense, playing the Mavericks' lob threats at centers and switching on the likes of Doncic.
Can he put together one more comprehensive effort to lock in a title?
Dallas Mavericks
Luka Doncic: Doncic played his worst game of the series in Game 3, fouling out for the first time in his postseason career, shooting only 40% from the field with 27 points and six rebounds, each series lows, and six assists. Can Doncic lock in to start a historic comeback?
The Celtics were the better team heading into the series, and have justified it through three games, winning three games in different ways, and effectively ending the series. No team has come back from down 3-0 and Iām not counting on Dallas to be the first.
Boston has won with a barrage of three-point makes (Game 1), an off-shooting night (Game 2), and a come-from-behind effort in which the team pulled away late (Game 3).
The Celtics offense hasnāt been humming for the entirety of the series, but the defense has been at its best from the opening tip.
While Doncic has been able to score at times, and Irving found his footing in Game 3, the Boston defense has made most shots difficult for the two offensive-minded guards and shut off the water for everybody else on the Mavs.
Dallas role players are shooting 26% from three on an average of about 12 threes per game. The Celtics have dared the Mavericks to try and win two-on-five on offense and it hasnāt worked.
I ultimately think there are too many answers on the Boston side for this team that it is the preferred side. The Mavericks donāt have a way to generate clean looks for the likes of Doncic and Irving that a win would result from a cold shooting night from the Celtics.
However, Boston is only shooting 33.9% from three-point range this series while getting plenty of clean looks. The Celtics are winning while shooting more than two percent worse from distance in the regular season.
Boston is the clear side, Iāll bet on a sweep.
PICK: Celtics ML (-104)
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Last week, as thousands of green-clad fans spilled out of TD Garden and onto nearby Causeway St. still buzzingāand for many, still buzzedāfrom Bostonās Game 2 win over Indiana, an unmistakable chant filled the warm spring air.
We want Kyrie ā¦
We want Kyrie ā¦
It will be Dallas vs. Boston in the NBA Finals. Itās also Boston vs. Kyrie. Five years after Kyrie Irvingās abrupt exit, public (basketball) enemy No. 1 is back in town. They have met in the playoffs before, with Irvingās Nets wiping the floor with a battered Boston team in 2021 and the Celtics sweeping Brooklyn in ā22.
A trip to the second round was at stake in those series.
Said Irving, āBoston is in the way between our goal.ā
In Boston, the disdain for Irving runs deep. Heās Ulf Samuelsson in high tops. Roger Goodell in gym shorts. The most disliked NBA player since Bill Laimbeer. What Reggie Miller is to New York, Irving is to Boston. The only difference is Miller never wore a Knicks uniform. On eBay, you can still buy Irving jerseys in Celtics green.
Time heals most wounds. Not these. These have barely scabbed over. Irving has not exactly attempted to ease the tension. In 2021, before Irving returned to Boston for a first-round playoff series with Brooklyn, he said he hoped not to hear any āsubtle racism.ā After beating the Celtics in Game 4, Irving walked to center court and stomped on the logo.
There will inevitably be attempts to rewrite history in the days ahead. Irving didnāt hate Boston. He just wanted to go home to New York. He didnāt have bad relationships with his teammates. Thatās media stuff, reporters chasing clicks. He didnāt bail out on his team late in the 2018-19 season. Those Celtics just didnāt have enough.
Nonsense. He wasnāt on the same page as Brad Stevens. He didnāt have much of a relationship with Jaylen Brown. Quit is probably too strong of a word but talk to enough people around that 2018-19 team and itās clear thereās a belief that late in the season, Irving checked out. In the fall of ā18, Irving grabbed a mic and told a giddy Garden crowd he intended to re-sign there. By the spring, he was gone.
On Sunday, Irving talked about how he better understands leadership. In Boston, he struggled with it. Irving was the only member of the Celtics core with a championship, a status he was known to wield like a cudgel. He knew what it took to wināand he had the ring to prove it. During one locker room discussion, sources told SI, it was pointed out that Al Horford won two championships at Florida. Not the same, Irving said. A Boston assistant was part of a championship staff in Europe. Not the same, he replied. Aron Baynes, a reserve center on the Celtics 2018-19 team who won a title with San Antonio, wasnāt in the room for the exchange. At least one ex-teammate wonders what Irving would have said if he was.
Things never fully clicked for Irving (11) in Boston. / Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
In Dallas, things are different. Throughout the organization, respect for Irving runs deep. He has been an extension of Jason Kidd on the floor. He has been a calming influence off of it. He has figured out how to succeed opposite Luka DonÄiÄ, creating an all-time great duo in the process. When Irving returned from a leg injury in January, team officials marveled at the effort Irving was putting in on the defensive end of the floor.
Asked about the skepticism of Irvingās fit in Dallas, Kidd said, āItās alright to be wrong.ā
Some of it is Irving, at 32, facing reality. He has played on three teams in the last six seasons. Four in the last eight. Cleveland, Boston, BrooklynāVesuvius left less wreckage. When Irving hit free agency last summer, Dallas was the only team offering real money to sign him.
Some of it is Dallas. The warm Texas climate and its right leaning politics. āHe still will have his opinions of what he thinks,ā said Kidd. āAnd here with the Mavs, we support that.ā In Kidd, Irving has found a peer. Irving grew up watching Kidd in New Jersey. When Irving was in high school, they connected at a Nike event. āHe was pretty good,ā said Kidd. Inside the Dallas locker room, the bond between Irving and Kidd is ironclad.
āJust being able to talk the truth or speak the truth to one another,ā said Kidd. āI compliment him for trusting me. I'm only here to tell him the truth and to try to help him achieve his goals.ā
Kidd knows what itās like to be a villain in Boston, his Nets years filled with fierce Celtics battles. Kidd was fueled by the hate. At times, Irving has seemed rattled by it. Irving has faced the Celtics 10 times since the 2021 playoffs. He has lost each one. He has had several dustups with fans, admitting in ā22 that the crass attacks were āabout so much you can take as a competitor.ā It was bad then. It will be worse now.
āIām at a place in my life where I donāt consider those past moments,ā Irving told ESPN. āI was able to unpack them in a healthy way [and] move forward as a person. I had a rough time there when I was in Boston, dealing with a death in my family and a lot of off-court stuff that I wasnāt ready to handle. Now that Iām in a great place to be able to vocalize how Iām feeling, Iām ready to go back into Boston and have fun with my teammates.ā
Fun? Thatās up to Irving. Dallas needs a poised Irving. A composed one. This will be a difficult series. The Celtics are 2ā0 against the Mavericks this season. They beat them by nine before the trades that brought P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford to Dallas. They beat them by 28 after. They have elite defenders, dynamic wing scorers and will likely have a healthy Kristaps PorziÅÄ£is when the series begins next week.
āThey have a lot of talented players,ā said Kidd. āThey've been [to the Finals] before. They have the experience, they're well coached. This is another great test.ā
They need Irving. DonÄiÄ will get his points. The All-NBA guard is enjoying one of the finest stretches of his career. But he will need help. He will need Irving to be the shot maker he was in the conference finals, where he averaged 27 pointsāincluding 36 in Game 5āon 49% shooting. The three-point shooter (42.3%) he has been in the playoffs. The All-Star-level sidekick he has been all season.
Irving is coming to Boston, and make no mistake: a hyped up Boston crowd will be waiting. The boos will be loud, the rhetoric nasty. It will be the most intense environment Irving has played in and this time, everything is at stake. A championship is within reach for Kyrie Irving. Itās the Celtics, itās Boston standing in front of it.
