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.
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 won a roller-coaster of a game Wednesday night to take a 3â0 series lead over the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals. Jaylen Brown scored 30 points on 22 shots to go along with eight rebounds and eight assists, while Jayson Tatum scored 31 on 26 shots with six rebounds and five assists.
The Celtics dominated the third quarter with great ball movement, which Tatum pointed out on the bench during a timeout. Luckily, ESPN and ABC had the cameras rolling to hear the Celtics star tell everyone they shouldn't settle for step-back three-pointers, which is basically his favorite thing in the world.
"We can get shots," Tatum said, "but we can get better shots. Don't settle for the step-back three unless it's late shot clock. That goes for all of us. Myself. Every time we drive we get a wide open three."
He was right. About the drive and kick, at least. He was certainly not right about taking his own advice as he repeatedly took three-pointers in isolation, which Doris Burke pointed out on the broadcast saying that if she were a teammate she would have given him the side-eye when he said that.
Tatum finished the game 4-of-13 from behind the arc. He is now 8-of-27 from three during the Finals.
Early in the fourth quarter it looked like Boston was going to cruise to a 3â0 series lead. A Derrick White three staked the Celtics to a 21-point lead with 11 minutes to play. The three-point line was hot and the Mavericks looked finished. Then P.J. Washington hit a three. Then Luka Doncic hit a layup. Then Dereck Lively II tipped in a miss. A 12â0 run cut the lead to nine with eight minutes to play. A 20â2 run made it a one-possession game with six minutes to play.
Doncic was hot. Kyrie Irving was rolling. Dallas had life.
With 4:38 to play, Doncic picked up his fifth personal foul. Bad. Fewer than 30 seconds later, he picked up his sixth. Worse. Dallas, faced with trying to complete the comeback with its All-NBA guard on the bench, crumbled. An Irving jumper briefly cut the lead to one but Boston quickly pushed it back up to three, then six, then eight. And that was your ball game.
âWe had a good chance,â Doncic said. âWe were close. Just didnât get it. I wish I was out there.â
Said Jayson Tatum, âThe game of basketball is about runs, and this is at the highest level. You know, itâs the best team in the West at this point. They are going to make shots. They are going to go on a run, and itâs just all about how do you respond.â
When Dallas surged to an early 13-point first-quarter lead, there was Tatum, scoring 20 of his 31 points in the first half to keep the game close. When Boston needed buckets down the stretch, there was Jaylen Brown, who scored 24 of his 30 in the second half, including nine in the fourth quarter.
It wasnât a flawless game. Tatum struggled with his shot, finishing 11-for-26. Brown was 2-for-9 from three-point range. But they refused to get discouraged. It was Tatumâs driving dunk in traffic that pushed the Celticsâ lead to six late in the fourth quarter. It was Brownâs 21-footer that put the game away. For just the second time in Celtics history, two players scored at least 30 points in a Finals game. And when the final buzzer sounded, the two stars embraced near center court.
âJust you know showing the emotions of the game,â Tatum said. âTwo guys that were excited, tired, that, you know, after the game. Weâre not necessarily saying like, âOne more,â or anything like that. We are just saying, âHowever long it takes.â Nobody is relaxed. Nobody is satisfied. Just at that moment, you know, just told him I was proud of him and he said the same thing. That weâve got to keep fighting. We canât relax.â
Role players have become the story of this series. For Boston, the first two games were dominated by Kristaps Porzingis, who returned from a 38-day absence to help power Boston to a 2â0 series lead. In Game 3, with Porzinigis out, it was White (16 points) and Sam Hauser (nine) making shots. Al Horford stretching out for 37 minutes. Xavier Tillman, playing his first minutes of this series, finishing a +9 in 11 minutes.
âI just think that top to bottom, we trust everybody, and we just compete at a high level,â White said. âObviously, they are great players, and itâs a challenge but [itâs] just consistently being in the right position and just competing.â
Tillman came up big in Game 3, playing his first minutes of the Finals. / Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports
On Dallasâs side, it was more of the same. Washington chipped in nine points during Dallasâs fourth-quarter comeback but finished with 12 overall. Derrick Jones Jr. was a non-factor. Maxi Kleber, too. Jason Kidd dusted off Tim Hardaway Jr. for 20 minutes. Hardaway finished 0-for-5. In the first half, Kiddâs rotation went 11 deep.
âWe were trying to find someone to come off the bench and give us a spark,â Kidd said. âIt doesnât always have to be someone making a shot. I thought the guys that played tonight helped us get the lead or get back into the game.
âWhen you look at some of the guys who played, we got good looks, some of them made them, some of them didnât. I thought the group that played, once that third quarter got away from us, it just showed the group kept playing.â
In the conference playoffs, Luke Kornet gobbled up the bulk of the non-Porzingis minutes. In Game 3, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla went with Tillman, in part because of the ex-Memphis Grizzlies forwardâs experience against the Mavericks. Tillman responded by knocking down a corner three in the third quarter and swatting away two shots.
âBig shout out to X,â White said. âTo not be in the rotation but to stay locked in and he gives us big-time minutes. He just does a little bit of everything out there. Then he guarded his ass off and hit a big shot and rebounds, and he just did a little bit of everything for us. Credit to him. Great, great teammate, great guy, and he was big for us.â
The statistics say no. Of the 156 teams that have trailed 3â0 in an NBA playoff series, zero have come back to win it. The more pressing concern is if Dallas can avoid a sweep. Doncic struck an optimistic tone at his postgame news conference. âBeing down 21 in the third game and then coming back was a really positive thing for us,â he said. And the Mavs did get a breakout game from Irving (35 points). But as talented as Doncic and Irving are, they are not getting enough help. And a Celtics team that nearly completed a 3â0 comeback last season isnât sounding like one ready to let this one slip away.
âYou have to expect the expected,â Mazzulla said. âYouâve got to understand we are just as vulnerable if not more vulnerable than they are. And we have to play that way. So as long as we have that mindset, and when you understand that youâre vulnerable and your backâs against the wall, youâve got to fight. And so thatâs the mindset that we have to have.â
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics have a 2-0 series lead over the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, and that puts them in some great company all time.
There have been 36 teams that have led 2-0 in the NBA Finals, and they are 31-5 straight up in the series all time. Not only that, but Boston as a franchise has a 43-1 record when leading 2-0 in a playoff series, only losing in the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals.
The C's -- the finals favorite for most of the 2023-24 season -- are now -800 at DraftKings Sportsbook to win the title this season heading into Game 3 in Dallas on Wednesday night.
Based on these odds, the Celtics have an implied probability of 88.89 percent to win the title this season. Dallas -- at +550 -- has just a 15.38 percent chance based on implied probability.
Even though Boston is going on the road in Game 3, I wouldn't be worried as a Boston bettor.
The C's are a perfect 6-0 straight up on the road in the playoffs, and Dallas is just 25-24 against the spread at home in the 2023-24 season.
Betting strictly on a historic trend isn't the best way to wager on a series, but this is a great sign for bettors that are holding a Celtics future. In fact, there is one bettor that wagered $215,000 on the Celtics to win the series prior to the start of the NBA Finals.
Boston is set as a slight underdog heading into Game 3 despite being 14-2 straight up this postseason.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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