Celtics vs Mavericks NBA Finals Game 3: Three takeaways, analysis, as Jays have Boston on doorstep of title

2024 NBA Finals – Boston Celtics v Dallas Mavericks

Dallas had hope — it was coming home and facing a Boston team without center Kristaps Porzingis. Kyrie Irving was bound to play better.

It still wasn’t enough.

Boston hung around in the first half, dominated the third quarter then hung on in the fourth — when Luka Doncic fouled out — and went on to win 106-99. The Celtics now have a commanding 3-0 series lead (do you need to be reminded no team in NBA history has come back from 0-3 down?).

Here are the takeaways from Game 3.

1) The Jays — together — have Boston one win from title

Jason Kidd tried to lob a grenade into the Boston locker room after Game 1 and say Jaylen Brown is the Celtics’ best player. Boston’s players were not taking the bait, because they have come to a realization, one that has them on the doorstep of a ring:

It doesn’t matter.

It doesn’t matter whose team it is. It doesn’t matter who some talking heads or Internet trolls think is the best.

All that matters is what they can accomplish together — Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have developed a synergy over the years. They play with and off each other, not next to each other.

And together in Game 3, they scored 61 points.

Brown, with another stellar performance, is now the clear frontrunner for Finals MVP — just as he was Eastern Conference Finals MVP — but on the road Wednesday night, Tatum stepped up his scoring and put the Celtics in this position.

It’s not one of them, it’s how they have grown together. It’s the roster Brad Stevens has put around them.

The Jays — surrounded by a cast of perfectly-fitting role players — are now 15-2 in these playoffs and answered every question put in front of them. This was clear-and-away the best team in the NBA during the regular season and have carried that over to the playoffs, where they have put on an all-time performance. Boston has been dominant.

That starts with the Jays being an unstoppable unit this postseason. The outdated idea of “whose team is this?” does not apply to these Celtics. It took a long time to get here, but it’s both of theirs.

And their team is on the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/celtics-vs-mavericks-nba-finals-131310655.html

Author : NBC Sports

Publish date : 2024-06-13 13:13:10

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