The Dallas Mavericks could take a breath after they avoided a sweep with a dominant 122-84 win over the Boston Celtics on Friday night in Game 4, but their uphill battle continues with their season on the line in Game 5 on Monday night.
With the series back in Boston, the Celtics will aim to close out the Mavs and secure their 18th championship in franchise history.
Date: Monday, June 17
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV channel: ABC
Streaming: DirecTV Stream, Fubo, YouTube TV
Follow along with Yahoo Sports NBA experts Jake Fischer, Vincent Goodwill and Ben Rohrbach for Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
Casual make on the first try ahead of Game 5 from Luka Tipoff is at 8:30pm/et on ABC pic.twitter.com/eINCa9OMJB
NBA (@NBA) June 17, 2024
“No matter what the score is… we understand we have one thing to do and that’s just to have one more point than the Celtics tonight.” @Dennis3DScott with HC Jason Kidd ahead of Game 5 pic.twitter.com/9CkXu9VClY
NBA TV (@NBATV) June 17, 2024
“Expect to see [Porzingis] tonight,” per Joe Mazzulla.He will not be on a minutes restriction.(h/t @VinceGoodwill) pic.twitter.com/oaKBJgZgor
Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 17, 2024
The Jays locked in for Game 5 pic.twitter.com/Yx6evr3fdn
Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 17, 2024
The Celtics entered Friday with an opportunity to become NBA champions in large part because of the metronomic consistency of their approach and execution. A ton of the credit for that belongs to head coach Joe Mazzulla, whose unflinching and, at times, eyebrow-raising commitment to a process-over-results, sweat-the-small-stuff style has helped transform Boston from a talented team given to occasional lapses into one that has functioned, for most of the past eight months, like a brutally efficient winning machine.
As Mazzulla told reporters before Game 4, though, a healthy share of the credit should also go to the team his Celtics had the chance to sweep.
Dallas is a great opponent, because they test your discipline like, every single possession, he said during his pregame news conference. And the second that you’re not where you’re supposed to be, or you don’t execute your angles properly, they take advantage of it.
More often than not on Friday night, the Celtics werent where they were supposed to be, and didnt execute their angles properly. And man, did Luka Dončić, Kyrie Irving and the rest of the Mavericks take advantage of it.
Read the full story here.
The Mavs’ star duo combine for 50 points to force Game 5 back in Boston Luka: 29 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST, 3 STLKyrie: 21 PTS, 4 REB, 6 AST Game 5: Monday, 8:30pm/et, ABC pic.twitter.com/3R7DaFrGrq
NBA (@NBA) June 15, 2024
The Boston Celtics announced Kristaps Porzingis is good to go for Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks after missing Games 3 and 4 with a left leg injury.
The 7-2 Latvian originally sustained a posterior tibialis dislocation in his left leg during the Celtics’ Game 2 win over the Mavs when he collided with Dallas center Derek Lively II in the third quarter. He came up limping and didn’t look right for the rest of the game.
The Celtics announce that Kristaps Porzingis will be available for Game 5. pic.twitter.com/BzEzcG6DXv
Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 17, 2024
Porzingis missed Game 3, but was active for Game 4 though “active” might be a strong word for it. Head coach Joe Mazzulla said before Boston’s Game 4 loss that Porzingis was not quite there” in terms of starting, but available to play in “very specific instances if necessary.”
No one (but Mazzulla, presumably) knows what those instances are, but none of them occurred in Game 4 as the Celtics got blown out by the Mavericks 122-84. The championship wasn’t on the line, and Porzingis subsequently didn’t see any playing time.
Despite the loss, resting Porzingis helped him be ready for the Celtics’ golden opportunity on Monday night. They’ve got a 3-1 lead and they’re playing the Mavericks in Boston. They need just one more win to bring that trophy home, and Mazzulla’s got all hands on deck to make it happen.
Kristaps Porzingis getting shots up before Game 5 Do the Celtics close it out if he plays tonight?(via @VinceGoodwill)pic.twitter.com/UK9Tq0llSR
Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 17, 2024
No NBA team has come back from a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs. They are 0-156. Thirteen of the 287 teams (4.5%) that trailed 3-1 have won the series. And 57 of the 350 teams (16.3%) that trailed 3-2 have won.
This is the widening window of opportunity the Boston Celtics are attempting to avoid in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. With a victory on Monday night, the Dallas Mavericks should feel four times as confident about their shot at the title, since they will no longer need to think as the only team attempting to rally from a 3-0 deficit. They will merely need to become the 58th team to win consecutive elimination games.
“They are a desperate team, and they are playing probably a little freer,” said Al Horford, whose Celtics trailed the 2023 Eastern Conference finals 3-0 and forced a Game 7. “We know what that mindset is like.”
There is a freedom in knowing there is no room for error. The Mavericks have little other choice but to give it their all on every possession because one mistake could mean the end of all championship hope.
Read the full story here.
Will Boston finish the job tonight? pic.twitter.com/iDkXI2xEGz
Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 17, 2024