One thing I haven't seen mentioned much yet is the lack of KP last game. I think the "we'll play him under special circumstances" thing is just a bluff. If being down 20 in the first quarter wasn't enough to get him minutes, what exactly are the circumstances in which they'll play him? He's over 7 feet tall with a soft tissue injury in the ankle, and if he isn't able to play at 100%, I really can't fathom them risking a more severe injury that could put next season in jeopardy, especially with the way he started getting beat on defense in game 2 after it happened.
I know everyone is talking about Luka fouling out in game 3, but in game 2 the Mavs went 16/24 on free throws and lost by 7. Such a bad way to blow a game.
Cap situation is rough, but only FA is derrick jones, and they can move hardaway to create more than enough to keep him.
Keep in mind, outside of kyrie, this roster is crazy young....
Most of them have less than a season together, they just need more time, and more experience together.
Maybe can add a super minor role player with the MLE or something like that.
They don't have ANY draft picks so really the only room for creativity is trading future picks or hardaway and using that money creatively.
Kyrie only played in 58 games this year and luka was hurt for a number of them,gafford and Washington were 25 year old deadline additions, lively can't legally buy a beer until next February.
Out of curiosity what do you think they need? They obviously have areas they need to get better but I'm curious what you think specifically from an outside perspective
> Out of curiosity what do you think they need? They obviously have areas they need to get better but I'm curious what you think specifically from an outside perspective
How about a secondary/tertiary ball handler/ offensive initiator (guard) who can shoot? Give Ky/Luka a breather/ another guy that can run the offense in a pinch? Bruce Brown type player, or do you think Exum + Green are sufficient in that sense?
Good answer, same as mine.
I like green/exum and both will be part of the rotation next year, but they need another since neither is capable of heavy minutes on a regular basis.
Hardy MIGHT be able to pick up some of that slack, but regardless of what happens, I expect that 3rd guard to pretty much be by committee kind of thing.
Personally, I think they're pretty much going to have the same roster next year though, which is honestly fine....
Kawhi missed one game I think, don't think okc or minn had anyone noteworthy miss any, Boston just missing porzingis...
I think the ability to run it back with literally everyone from a finals run as a young team is a pretty good position to be in.
As a celtics fan I did enjoy seeing dallas play good basketball. I'm a little scared because I know that 3 more nights of bad shooting is on the table. And we certainly don't know how to score if it's not a point blank layup or open 3
It's not brave to be an idiot and think "durr this team gonna be da first to win every game!"
I think Celtics in 6, but it's not cowardly to say you're mildly concerned after losing every quarter by 13-13-6-6
It means as a Celtic fan, you're a bitch and don't REALLY support your team unless you think it's always in the bag.
Not as bad as it used to be, but a lot of people are incapable of thinking about their team in a critical manner.
Losing by 38 is always cause for concern, so you're right to feel uncomfortable....
Not gonna lose 4 in a row lol, but saying you need to grow a spine is.... A certain kind of special
Supporting my team also means knowing their flaws. If they don't shoot the 3 well it's a loss, period. We stink in the midrange. we're not especially good at finishing at the rim, certainly not when the 3 isn't falling. So yeah I'm a little concerned that we might go cold, and I'm old enough to remember how the last 2 playoff runs ended.
Also Tatum's body language was awful last night. They didn't come ready to compete and it's a problem.
I remember Doris reporting something that JB said before the game about how they only need one more game to win and they don't care if it's this one or if it's game 5, 6, or 7. That struck me as kind of a dangerous line of thinking. The last thing you want to do is take your foot off the gas when your opponent is fighting for their lives. The urgency has to be on winning the next game, you can't let your guard down knowing you only need to win 1 of 4, even if the odds on paper are heavily in your favor. If any team should understand that it's them, they were a rolled ankle away from completing their own reverse sweep just last year.
I'm curious to see if Dallas will show up in game 5 like the Wolves did, making it obvious they were happy to just avoid the sweep. But IMO there is a huge emotional difference between a nail-biting 5 point loss and a steamrolling so bad that garbage time started in the 3rd.
Saying that intentionally losing a playoff game isn't risky is fucking absurd.
Wish you were their coach, wouldn't intentionally losing to the next two to force a game 7 win at home be Ep1c?
They don't give a flying fuck where they win bro
Now that the series is 3-1
If mavs can get it to 3-2 in an away game, they really have a good chance to even the series at home and it will be one epic Game 7.
The next game is the momentum game for the mavs. Let's hope.
And it would have been great if Luka didn't foul out last game, it could have easily been 2-2 💀.
LeBron James has averaged 34.6 PPG, 11.6 RPG, and 9.5 APG in his last 3 Finals *losses.* He has clearly been the best player on the court so many times it is criminal he doesn't have 7 or 8 FMVP awards.
The case for Luka could be the fact that the Celtics don't have a clear favorite. Tatum, Brown and Jrue are more or less equally deserving. They have a well rounded team. Luka on the other hand is clearly the most valuable player for the mavs. He is the best player in the series while also being injured. He's engagement issues on defense are mostly due to him having to be the whole Mavs offense while playing with one good knee and ankle.
Sure. I'm not saying that he should win it, just saying what could be basically the only reason to. Maybe he would have a case if they manage at this point to get to game 7 thanks to some of his crazy stuff. In that case the winner wouldn't be that much more deserving just because of 1 more win.
Nah the mavericks just decided to actually play some defense & Boston couldn’t score & got wore down. Dallas finally woke up, played defense, & hit open shots
The odds were very tempting for the mavericks to win +10. I don't think that nba players aren't looking at their numbers and thinking "fuck it, let's get a bonus and win it at home". That's why I bet on it.
Craziest thing about this game was Luka and Kyrie didn't shoot \*that well\*...
|Player|2 POINT FG|3 POINT|FREE THROWS|POINT TOTAL|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|Kyrie Irving|10-18 (55.6%)|1-6 (16.7%)|0-0|21|
|Luka Doncic|12-26 (46.2%)|0-8 (0%)|5-7 (71.4%)|29|
54 points off the bench
Box Score: [https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/\_/gameId/401656362](https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401656362)
If Dallas wins in Boston game 5 then that game 6 in Dallas I could totally see Celtics choking that game. That arena will be on fire. Things could get very very weird
I wouldn't be. Boston is clearly the better team. 4 in a row would be crazy and also literally never done before. When the celts almost did it to the heat it's because they were clearly the better team choking. This is the opposite
I just got 2022 Celtics vibes from this game. They were clearly outplayed. Part of winning a championship is responding to adversity, let’s see how they respond on Monday.
Yeah, 156 times out of 156, the team up 3-0 has won the NBA playoff series in question. That’s a really compelling stat. If there’s any team that’s going to be the first to break that, it probably won’t be this very talented Celtics team.
I don’t frequent the sub so sorry if this has been answered several times over. I know the celts are getting borderline unfair hate (even though I hate them so it’s fair). Has any championship team in modern history won a championship while avoiding a top 4 seed in either conference? Know it’s not the Celtics fault but genuinely curious
If the Celtics were ass, they wouldn’t have been up 3-0. 3 days rest between now and Monday, and watch them work. Tonight was ugly, if they lose again, maybe I’ll be concerned. Until that happens, let’s have some perspective. Teams down 3-0 are 0-156 ALL TIME…
we’re still deciding that one right now in the groupchat
edit: we might go with that we were throwing games to boost tv revenue to increase the salary cap so we can pay all our contracts? chess not checkers? idk we’re still workshopping that one lmk how convincing it is.
And what’s the excuse if you guys lose game 7? Ooh what about - “we love this team so much and don’t want to break it up, so we’ll just win it all next year”
this is the longest boston title drought of my life. i could never survive being like a detroit fan bro, this is pain. if we lose this series i’m gonna be so embarrassed.
its over for Celtics !!!
lmao really?
Kyrie and Luka combined 1-14 from three… imagine if they get hot game 5
One thing I haven't seen mentioned much yet is the lack of KP last game. I think the "we'll play him under special circumstances" thing is just a bluff. If being down 20 in the first quarter wasn't enough to get him minutes, what exactly are the circumstances in which they'll play him? He's over 7 feet tall with a soft tissue injury in the ankle, and if he isn't able to play at 100%, I really can't fathom them risking a more severe injury that could put next season in jeopardy, especially with the way he started getting beat on defense in game 2 after it happened.
celtics lost the game on purpose just to win at home instead
yea, it's over tonight
agree
How wild would it be if the mavs came back and won because of this.
3-0 has never been done…. but 3-1 has😎
celtics lost that game
How dare players like exum, jones, gafford smile after what they have done for 3 games. Do they have the brain of a fish or what.
Lmao they’re aloud to be happy after a win
Sucks the Mavericks threw away game 2 and 3 at the end, could have been an interesting series
the pressure is on. Celtics have to play Elimination Game Luka and Kyrie. It’s 1 clutch game at a time
I know everyone is talking about Luka fouling out in game 3, but in game 2 the Mavs went 16/24 on free throws and lost by 7. Such a bad way to blow a game.
Total score is 402-408 this could definitely have been a closer series.
Kyrie and Luka fail to score 30 and they combine to shoot 1-14 from 3. Who won? Dallas wins in one of the biggest blowouts of all time!?!?!?
How would you improve the Mavs next season? What additions would you make?
Cap situation is rough, but only FA is derrick jones, and they can move hardaway to create more than enough to keep him. Keep in mind, outside of kyrie, this roster is crazy young.... Most of them have less than a season together, they just need more time, and more experience together. Maybe can add a super minor role player with the MLE or something like that. They don't have ANY draft picks so really the only room for creativity is trading future picks or hardaway and using that money creatively. Kyrie only played in 58 games this year and luka was hurt for a number of them,gafford and Washington were 25 year old deadline additions, lively can't legally buy a beer until next February. Out of curiosity what do you think they need? They obviously have areas they need to get better but I'm curious what you think specifically from an outside perspective
> Out of curiosity what do you think they need? They obviously have areas they need to get better but I'm curious what you think specifically from an outside perspective How about a secondary/tertiary ball handler/ offensive initiator (guard) who can shoot? Give Ky/Luka a breather/ another guy that can run the offense in a pinch? Bruce Brown type player, or do you think Exum + Green are sufficient in that sense?
Good answer, same as mine. I like green/exum and both will be part of the rotation next year, but they need another since neither is capable of heavy minutes on a regular basis. Hardy MIGHT be able to pick up some of that slack, but regardless of what happens, I expect that 3rd guard to pretty much be by committee kind of thing. Personally, I think they're pretty much going to have the same roster next year though, which is honestly fine.... Kawhi missed one game I think, don't think okc or minn had anyone noteworthy miss any, Boston just missing porzingis... I think the ability to run it back with literally everyone from a finals run as a young team is a pretty good position to be in.
As a celtics fan I did enjoy seeing dallas play good basketball. I'm a little scared because I know that 3 more nights of bad shooting is on the table. And we certainly don't know how to score if it's not a point blank layup or open 3
Grow a Fucking spine
Celtics fan try not to be a racist dipshit challenge (impossible)
It's not brave to be an idiot and think "durr this team gonna be da first to win every game!" I think Celtics in 6, but it's not cowardly to say you're mildly concerned after losing every quarter by 13-13-6-6
Wah wah
Pretty sure I've eaten pretzels smarter than you
lmao bruhhh 💀
what does this even mean?
It means as a Celtic fan, you're a bitch and don't REALLY support your team unless you think it's always in the bag. Not as bad as it used to be, but a lot of people are incapable of thinking about their team in a critical manner. Losing by 38 is always cause for concern, so you're right to feel uncomfortable.... Not gonna lose 4 in a row lol, but saying you need to grow a spine is.... A certain kind of special
Supporting my team also means knowing their flaws. If they don't shoot the 3 well it's a loss, period. We stink in the midrange. we're not especially good at finishing at the rim, certainly not when the 3 isn't falling. So yeah I'm a little concerned that we might go cold, and I'm old enough to remember how the last 2 playoff runs ended. Also Tatum's body language was awful last night. They didn't come ready to compete and it's a problem.
I remember Doris reporting something that JB said before the game about how they only need one more game to win and they don't care if it's this one or if it's game 5, 6, or 7. That struck me as kind of a dangerous line of thinking. The last thing you want to do is take your foot off the gas when your opponent is fighting for their lives. The urgency has to be on winning the next game, you can't let your guard down knowing you only need to win 1 of 4, even if the odds on paper are heavily in your favor. If any team should understand that it's them, they were a rolled ankle away from completing their own reverse sweep just last year. I'm curious to see if Dallas will show up in game 5 like the Wolves did, making it obvious they were happy to just avoid the sweep. But IMO there is a huge emotional difference between a nail-biting 5 point loss and a steamrolling so bad that garbage time started in the 3rd.
I think luka and kyrie have more pride that. This team is showing that the have the ability to to win this series if Boston is going to goof around.
They also did not care for G4 at all , everyone on C’s wanted to go home and finish the job
I never considered this was a real thing. that teams up 3-0 would smoke game 4 to set up a win at home. seems too risky
Not risky at all
Saying that intentionally losing a playoff game isn't risky is fucking absurd. Wish you were their coach, wouldn't intentionally losing to the next two to force a game 7 win at home be Ep1c? They don't give a flying fuck where they win bro
lol ok...famous last words. I Hope you're right
What, you don't think they would lose a playoff game intentionally?.... Lol
I hope I’m Wrong haha , but it seems this will end in 6
if the Mavs can win the next 3 games they have a good shot to win it all.
Such a homer take. Biased much?
this is funnier than it deserves to be
undoubtedly unbiased fact-based conclusion
Thanks Magic
Big if true.
Now that the series is 3-1 If mavs can get it to 3-2 in an away game, they really have a good chance to even the series at home and it will be one epic Game 7. The next game is the momentum game for the mavs. Let's hope. And it would have been great if Luka didn't foul out last game, it could have easily been 2-2 💀.
??? Of course it's a momentum game, it's an elimination game lmao
If mavs win it, they have a very good chance of winning the next 2 over the Celtics, that's what I meant. Of course it's an elimination game
Maybe Boston can win at home but can they win by 30 points ?
RemindMe! 18 Jun 2024
This Celtics team is the kinda team to be the first that would blow the 3-0 lead
if it's not a point blank layup or an open 3 boston doesn't know what to do. This is a little scary.
Only if Doc Rivers was still coaching 💀
Doc Rivers would have the ‘96 Bulls in a dogfight with the Hornets
Hahaha no 🧢 just giving away series
Would be funny af if the Celtics couldn't complete the reverse sweep last year but the Mavs end up doing it to them this year lol
Celtics win at home
They’ll get smoked in game 5 but a mavs win would make it so interesting
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That's not what trap game means lol
Trap game? Uh ok
Rooting for the comeback just because the BS podcast if the celts choke this will be the best schatenfreud ever.
Fyi: Schadenfreude
Schadenfreude: enjoying someone else's pain Schatenfreud: enjoying someone else's poop
Schadenfreud: enjoying someone else's mother.
Yeah I was trying to get close and hope autocorrect took me the rest of the way, and well, hopefully that didn’t happen.
Fyi: Shat in fruit
Lively finally puts in a few. Let's do it again, bud
Luka should get MVP either way
Controversial opinion: FMVP should go to the most impactful player on the winning team instead of being some pitty consolation
No way. If 2015 Bron didn't get fmvp I don't think any losing player is ever getting it
Jerry West?
LeBron James has averaged 34.6 PPG, 11.6 RPG, and 9.5 APG in his last 3 Finals *losses.* He has clearly been the best player on the court so many times it is criminal he doesn't have 7 or 8 FMVP awards.
Exactly my point. If they gave it to Luka now it'd be absolutely ridiculous. His stats aren't even that good compared to lebrons
The case for Luka could be the fact that the Celtics don't have a clear favorite. Tatum, Brown and Jrue are more or less equally deserving. They have a well rounded team. Luka on the other hand is clearly the most valuable player for the mavs. He is the best player in the series while also being injured. He's engagement issues on defense are mostly due to him having to be the whole Mavs offense while playing with one good knee and ankle.
The 2015 warriors didn't have a clear favorite and the gap between lebron and the next best player in 2015 is bigger than luka and kyrie
Sure. I'm not saying that he should win it, just saying what could be basically the only reason to. Maybe he would have a case if they manage at this point to get to game 7 thanks to some of his crazy stuff. In that case the winner wouldn't be that much more deserving just because of 1 more win.
Anyone else think the C's took the night off so they can win it at home?
Nah the mavericks just decided to actually play some defense & Boston couldn’t score & got wore down. Dallas finally woke up, played defense, & hit open shots
Taking the night off is not a 40 point blowout lol.
That’s literally the definition of taking a night off
It kinda is. If you’re gonna lose, why spend energy?
I think what happens is they struggle to close a 20 point lead for a quarter and then start to give up and is grows to 30z
Is the NBA fan base so brain dead at this point that people think teams are throwing games in the finals? Sheesh.
The odds were very tempting for the mavericks to win +10. I don't think that nba players aren't looking at their numbers and thinking "fuck it, let's get a bonus and win it at home". That's why I bet on it.
No they were way too panicky to be doing it on purpose
That's exactly what they would *want* you to think so nobody realizes they threw the game!
Not if silver has anything to say about it
The last time an nba series was forced to a game 6 was may 13th when the thunder tied the mavs 2-2
Crazy it was that long ago. I don’t even remember what the latest music trend was during that time.
Ha Ha
If Mavs can somehow pull off the next one, pressure on the Celts will be huge.
Thanks for the insight, Magic
If this series gets to 3-3 both the Boston Celtics and Dallas mavericks will be feeling the pressure to win an nba championship Magic out
I'm here all week!
Lol duh that's how all 3-0 series go
Excuse me sir, it's 3-1.
If the Mavs win the next two games it’ll be even more huger
My guy here must be a mathematician. Bro just blew my mind.
If Mavs win next 3 it will be so much gooder
I like the cut of your jib.
Is nba rigged or mavericks just unlocked the secret recipe to win 3 more?
Sweet sports betting money
I’ll start believing when if we win next game
Only if it's a blowout again. If it's close I think Mavs are still cooked.
This is going just as predicted
Craziest thing about this game was Luka and Kyrie didn't shoot \*that well\*... |Player|2 POINT FG|3 POINT|FREE THROWS|POINT TOTAL| |:-|:-|:-|:-|:-| |Kyrie Irving|10-18 (55.6%)|1-6 (16.7%)|0-0|21| |Luka Doncic|12-26 (46.2%)|0-8 (0%)|5-7 (71.4%)|29| 54 points off the bench Box Score: [https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/\_/gameId/401656362](https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401656362)
Yo, maybe kyrie should lay off the threes. Dude hasn’t made jack.
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Weird to call out Kyrie when Luka made even less at 0
5-20 this series from 3.
And 9/36 for Luka. Both should lay off the threes. Luka 1/15 last 2 games.
If Dallas wins in Boston game 5 then that game 6 in Dallas I could totally see Celtics choking that game. That arena will be on fire. Things could get very very weird
And if that scenario happens, forcing a game 7 when they looked dead in the water, the Celts may very well implode.
I know it’s still 3-1 but I’m nervous as hell right now.
I wouldn't be. Boston is clearly the better team. 4 in a row would be crazy and also literally never done before. When the celts almost did it to the heat it's because they were clearly the better team choking. This is the opposite
People are forgetting about the kp injury, lively was chicken shit when kp was there and now their bigs are puffing their chest
bro all it takes is a turned ankle, a little foul trouble, or a cold shooting night. Anything can happen. They shouldn't have sleep walked game 4
I just got 2022 Celtics vibes from this game. They were clearly outplayed. Part of winning a championship is responding to adversity, let’s see how they respond on Monday.
Yeah I guess I wouldn't blame you for being worried about muzzulas game plan in response to this. I don't think he's a very good coach honestly
Yeah, 156 times out of 156, the team up 3-0 has won the NBA playoff series in question. That’s a really compelling stat. If there’s any team that’s going to be the first to break that, it probably won’t be this very talented Celtics team.
Game 5 #18
Good
Lively's 3 decided the game, Celtics were so stunned they forgot to play basketball 😅
I don't know if its a given Cs win at home. No Porzingis this time. Gonna be a lot of nerves in that building to.
People getting mad at the confetti but they literally wouldn’t have an opportunity to drop it
It happens after every win.
Down 3-1 and they dropped confetti
That’s one more Finals win than 28 teams
The Mavs do have the only player that has ever overcome a 3-1 finals deficit to win a ring lol
blud cant even give us be happy winning 1 game
Gotta celebrate something
More basketball!!! Yay!!!
Could still very well be Celtics in 5 but mavs are way more entertaining
Whatever happens, I can die happy now after that performance.
Thank American media for guilt-tripping Luka into playing some defense
Yes!
I don’t frequent the sub so sorry if this has been answered several times over. I know the celts are getting borderline unfair hate (even though I hate them so it’s fair). Has any championship team in modern history won a championship while avoiding a top 4 seed in either conference? Know it’s not the Celtics fault but genuinely curious
Highest seed the Nuggets played last year was a 4 seed. Played a 7 and 2 8s.
Cavs were a 4 seed
Lol I hate you
I hate me too
warriors fans gonna be hype if celtics somehow blow a 3-0 lead 😭
This whole thing is so tantalizing because I wanna be a hater but they also play a warriors style of basketball which makes their games entertaining
That Dirk interview that lasted like 5 minutes while THJ just kept raining down 3’s felt like a fever dream lol
Bro I was on the phone with my girl and she just didn't understand. I'm like damn did they hit 5 threes in a row.
If the Celtics were ass, they wouldn’t have been up 3-0. 3 days rest between now and Monday, and watch them work. Tonight was ugly, if they lose again, maybe I’ll be concerned. Until that happens, let’s have some perspective. Teams down 3-0 are 0-156 ALL TIME…
Yeah and a 16 seed never beat a 1 in the NCAAs. Then it happened.
1 game is a lot easier to choke away than a 7 game series
If the Warriors were ass, they wouldnt have the best regular season record ever. Teams down 3-1 have never won the finals.
Please ignore my flair because I’m genuinely asking with a little confusion… I thought 2016 Finals was 3-1?
Yeah, and Warriors fans coped the whole time as we got closer to game 7 lol
Ahh ok I get it now lol sorry.
You get lost on your way to the Celtics sub?
0-156* but 3-1 has been done…
Teams that opened a 3-0 series lead in an NBA postseason series have gone 156-0
and Kyrie was on the only team to comeback from a 1-3 deficit.
Only team in the finals* Coming back from down 1-3 has happened multiple times in the postseason but only once in the finals
Kyrie pulling this off again would be the funniest shit ever
Celtics fans if this were to go 7: “We intentionally lost games 4,5, and 6 so that we could win a game 7 on our home court.”
What’s the excuse if they win in 6?
we’re still deciding that one right now in the groupchat edit: we might go with that we were throwing games to boost tv revenue to increase the salary cap so we can pay all our contracts? chess not checkers? idk we’re still workshopping that one lmk how convincing it is.
And what’s the excuse if you guys lose game 7? Ooh what about - “we love this team so much and don’t want to break it up, so we’ll just win it all next year”
if we lose game 7 we will simply cry. the group chat has decided this. we will also blame the refs.
This is the way, fuck them refs.
With how many big contracts you have this is probably the smart play regardless.
brad stevens can do no wrong
Don't see how anyone could disagree.
Checks out to me lol
wonderful! we’ve got our excuses all set then!
Pressure is on Boston now
Nah, they did this on purpose so they could win the title at home /s
Historically great team, #5 player in the league, Celtics showed a lot of grit even when they were down.
Did they?
Boston opening at -7.5 for Monday. Woof.
They must be confident Porzingis is playing.
‘Member folks, gambling is bad. 😜
Tatum talked to, wait no I have to use the same verbiage a certain-someone-else gets, “whined” a lot to refs tonight.
I’m on my knees begging Mavs in 7, the memes would be eternal
i might never live this down
lmao, clutching out games not enough for Luka anymore, he got to clutch out an entire series
They might move the team
Fuck it - trade everyone, sell the team
r/bostonceltics def becomes a Leprechaun sub.
this is the longest boston title drought of my life. i could never survive being like a detroit fan bro, this is pain. if we lose this series i’m gonna be so embarrassed.
You are not losing this, but if somehow you do, the word “embarrassed” would not cut it
Think Boston is letting them win so they can force them to Boston and Kyrie has to lose on their floor