NBA Finals: Tatum, Brown Lead Celtics to 106-99 Victory Against Mavericks, Claim 3-0 Series Lead
NBA Finals update: The Boston Celtics showcased an impressive performance in Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, securing a crucial 106-99 win and establishing a commanding 3-0 lead in the series.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown emerged as the driving forces behind the Celtics’ victory, scoring 31 and 30 points respectively, while also demonstrating resilience in the face of a strong Dallas rally.
After helping Boston avert the greatest collapse in an NBA Finals game since at least 1997, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown exchanged extended embraces.
The prize? The stars of the Celtics are about to join a long list of well-known predecessors to raise a banner over the parquet flooring at home.
With a 106-99 victory over the Mavericks on Wednesday night, the Celtics took a 3-0 lead and held off a furious Dallas charge. Tatum scored 31 points, Brown had 30, and the team advanced to the edge of a record 18th championship.
With ten straight playoff wins and a 7-0 road record this playoffs, Brown finished with eight rebounds and eight assists to help the Celtics extend their franchise record. If they triumph in Dallas on Friday, they can win the series and end a tie with the Lakers for the most NBA titles.
Furthermore, Boston can put the near-loss of a 21-point lead with 11 minutes remaining behind them. Tatum stated, “I’m not really trying to look too much into it.” “Runs are the essence of the basketball game. Nothing will ever work out the way you planned. Being resilient under those circumstances is essential for being a champion, and we proved that tonight.
After Kristaps Porzingis, a 7-foot-2 Latvian, was ruled out of the game around two hours beforehand due to an unusual tendon injury he sustained in Game 2, Boston also advanced to 10-1 in these playoffs without the Latvian.
It’s unclear how Porzingis will fare in the remaining games of the series, but it might not matter. Not one of the 156 teams who faced a 3-0 disadvantage in the NBA playoffs has come back to win the series.
Thirteen years after Dallas’ greatest fourth-quarter comeback in the NBA Finals’ play-by-play history (since 1997), when a 15-point comeback in Game 2 launched the team’s drive to its lone championship against Miami, the Mavericks nearly pulled off a wild comeback to escape the large deficit.
After a 20-5 run early in the fourth quarter, Boston led 91-70. With 3 1/2 minutes left, Dallas responded with a 22-2 run to pull within a point.
The issue was that, with 4:12 remaining, after a challenge was rejected, Luka Doncic committed his sixth foul. This came just before Kyrie Irving, who finished with 35 points, made a jumper to bring Dallas within one.
From there, Tatum and Brown kept the Celtics alive with a little assistance from 16-point scorer Derrick White. The last 13 Boston points were scored by those three combined, putting the Celtics within one win of their first championship since 2008 and only their second since 1986. Only once, in 1959, did the Celtics win the NBA Finals 3-0 after eliminating the Lakers in a sweep.
“We simply need to create history,” stated rookie center Dereck Lively II. “We have to go out there and play as if our lives were at stake.”
The score remained at 93-90 for over three minutes in a game that appeared to be over early in the fourth quarter. This included the time when Doncic was flagged for a blocking foul when Brown was driving. Given that the task involved attempting to keep their best player from being disqualified, the Mavs had nothing to lose.
Also Read: NBA Finals Game 2: Boston Celtics Dominate Dallas Mavericks 105-98 for 2-0 Series Lead
With only a minute remaining, Brown made a pull-up jumper to draw Dallas within two points, even without Doncic. In the closing seconds, Tim Hardaway Jr., P.J. Washington Jr., and Irving all missed 3-pointers, extending Irving’s personal losing skid against his previous team to 13 games.
We had a strong opportunity, Doncic stated. “We had a tight relationship. simply failed to understand. Wish I was outside right now. Super Bowl-winning quarterback and Dallas Mavericks supporter Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs regularly got up from his seat close to midcourt, igniting an electrifying Dallas crowd eager for its first finals game in thirteen years.
Following two losses in Boston, the Mavs capitalized on the momentum and built up their largest lead of the series, leading 22–9 at the half. Doncic and Irving both scored three points and drove for baskets.
In response, the Celtics ended the first quarter with a 21-9 score. Sam Hauser finished the half with two of his three first-half three-point tries, capping a run that began with four points from Tatum and four from Brown.
The first six minutes of the second quarter were controlled by defense, with Boston leading 5-2 until Irving and Tatum exchanged three-pointers to spark a scoring spree.
Tatum said, “They came out swinging.” That was anticipated. The throng was behind them, and they were at home. We anticipated their opening blow.
Before the Mavs’ late comeback, the Celtics looked to be winning once they handled it, defeating the Mavs 35-19 in the third quarter. And Tatum and Brown’s response.
We’ve experienced such times quite a bit, Brown admitted. And each time we found ourselves in those situations, we lost. Overcoming that alongside my brother, Jason, and our team was fantastic. That was unique.
In a mostly empty arena, a few Celtics fans let out joyful screams when it was finished, as if they had begun the inevitable celebration.
All parties except the Celtics. Coach Joe Mazzulla stated, “You have to realize that we are just as vulnerable as they are, if not more so than they are.” “You have to fight when you realize that you’re defenseless and that the wall is against you. That’s the kind of thinking we need to have.
