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Boston Celtics

DALLAS -- The Boston Celtics have history within their grasp going into Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday.

With a win, not only would the Celtics sweep the Dallas Mavericks, they would break a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most NBA championships of all time with 18.

It seems to be a matter of when, not if, Boston closes out the series. The Celtics have been dominant in the playoffs, and that continued with a 106-99 victory in Game 3 to take a 3-0 Finals lead on Wednesday night.

NBA teams have gone 156-0 when taking a 3-0 lead in any best-of-seven series, and there's no reason to think that streak is in jeopardy with Boston riding a 10-game winning streak and a perfect 7-0 road record this postseason.

But the Celtics aren't getting ahead of themselves.

"Nobody is celebrating or anything," Celtics star Jayson Tatum said Thursday. "We still feel like there's a lot more that we can do. There's a lot more that we want to do."

Added veteran Al Horford: "We're not allowing ourselves to think ahead. We're just trying to lock in on what we have to do. The job is not done yet."

Boston has proven to be the deeper, more talented team throughout the Finals. When Tatum struggled on the offensive end in the first two games in Boston, Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday stepped up. Tatum then delivered his best scoring performance in Game 3 with 31 points.

The Celtics were without center Kristaps Porzingis (left leg) in Game 3 and managed to fill the void just fine. Porzingis remains day-to-day.

"Kristaps has gotten better from yesterday to today," Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said Thursday. "He's fighting like hell to play. But it's going to be up to us to protect him and to make sure that it's in the best interest for him as a player and as a person."

The Celtics' defense, meanwhile, continues to play at a high level, holding the Mavs to fewer than 100 points in each of the first three games.

This is a Mavs team that topped the 100-point mark in all five of their games against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals. But Boston is a different animal with the versatility and various looks it can deploy.

Even when the Mavs had 62 combined points from stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in Game 3, the other nine players who saw minutes combined for just 37 points. The Mavs haven't been able to put it all together yet, largely because of the Celtics' defense.

Irving said the Celtics' defense is "very special to watch from afar."

"But also as a competitor, as a hooper, to be experiencing it at this level, it's an incredible teacher for me," Irving said. "I use it as a moment to learn how hard it is to win, especially against a great team that's going to guard you the way that they're guarding us."

Doncic has shown his brilliance on the offensive end at times but has also struggled on defense. Doncic and Mavs coach Jason Kidd both answered questions about all-time greats enduring similar playoff struggles early in their careers, such as Michael Jordan against Detroit and LeBron James against the Spurs.

"You've got to go through lows first to go on top," Doncic said. "I think that's great experience."

Added Kidd: "For great players, you have to fail to understand how to be successful at the highest stage. This is the highest level, being in the Finals."

Despite the long odds, Doncic isn't ready to give in yet. He felt the Mavs showed something in how they responded to a 21-point deficit early in the fourth quarter of Game 3 and rallying to make it a one-point game. Though the comeback fell short, the Mavs didn't go down without a fight.

"We've just got to believe," Doncic said. "We talk about it in the locker room. I know we can do it, and we're going to believe until the end."

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6/14 Game 4 Preview: Celtics at Mavericks

Marc D'Amico

The Boston Celtics will seek to earn the ultimate close-out victory Friday night against the Dallas Mavericks, a triumph that would further substantiate the team’s season-long marketing tag of it being “Different Here” in Boston.

The reasoning behind such substantiation, of course, is that Boston had struggled mightily in close-out situations over the course of the previous six seasons. The Celtics had gone just 10-8 in close-out games since the beginning of the 2018 Playoffs, which was the first postseason Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum played together.

Now, as that duo and their teammates head into Friday’s Game 4 of the Finals, they have an opportunity to complete this postseason with a perfect 4-0 record in close-out games.

It really is Different Here this time around.

Boston has played at an elite level in close-out games this postseason. First, it ended Miami’s season in embarrassing fashion with a 34-point win during Game 5 at TD Garden. Then, it sent the Cavaliers packing with a 15-point victory during another Game 5 at the Garden. And most recently, Boston finished off a sweep of the Pacers with clutch play down the stretch of Game 4 in Indiana for a 105-102 win.

Something is certainly different here this season, even if Derrick White can’t quite put his finger on it.

“I don't know exactly what it is, but we're just locked in,” he said of Boston’s now-perfect trend in close-out games. “We know what's at stake. We understand that close-out games are the toughest, and we just come with an extra edge.”

That edge has been evident in both physical and mental forms. Clearly, the team has needed to play great basketball on the court in order to swiftly end three opponents’ seasons thus far. It’s an improvement from a mental perspective, however, that has allowed for such excellent play on the court.

It appears that there has been a shift in mental approach and mental stability for the Celtics this postseason. Boston has learned from its mistakes of seasons past, and it no longer makes them. The team now excels during the most critical of moments, rather than tightening up during them. Jayson Tatum attributes these mental improvements to the teachings of Joe Mazzulla and the coaching staff throughout this season.

Asked what has led to the team’s success in close-out games this postseason, Tatum told Celtics.com, “I think our ability to go over situational basketball during practice. Joe and the coaching staff, they do a great job of showing us a lot of different things throughout the season of how games end, whether it's teams being up six, do you foul, or closing out quarters and how that can have an effect for the start of the next quarter.”

The superstar wing continued, “So going over situational basketball in practice and in shootarounds and understanding what we want to do in those moments, what plays and reads we want to go over in late-game situations, so when those moments do come about throughout the game, we're comfortable.”

The Celtics had rarely felt comfortable in close-out opportunities throughout the prior six seasons. Now, they’re not only comfortable in those scenarios, but they’re also confident. Those two characteristics have set them up on the doorstep of the ultimate close-out victory that would secure their legacies forever as NBA champions who raised Banner 18.

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Boston, the Newfound Close-Out Kings, Seek Ultimate Close-Out Win in Game 4

Taylor Snow

DALLAS – As soon as the final buzzer of Game 3 sounded Wednesday night, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum converged on the Dallas Mavericks' center-court logo and shared a long embrace.

In the seven years of their partnership, this moment marked the closest they’d ever come to reaching their goal of winning a championship, and they wanted to soak in all of the emotions that came with it.

Both were exhausted and prideful in how they held off a late Dallas rally to hang on for a 106-99 win. They were exhilarated to be up 3-0 in the NBA Finals. And they are hopeful that they will finally get the job done after all they've been through together.

“Just showing the emotions of the game,” Jayson Tatum later described of that moment. “Two guys that were excited, tired, that after the game, we just – we were not necessarily saying 'one more' or anything like that. We were just saying, 'however long it takes.' Nobody is relaxed. Nobody is satisfied. Just at that moment,  I just told him I was proud of him. And he said the same thing; that we've got to keep fighting. We can't relax.”

“Keep fighting” was the mantra of the night. The Celtics saw a 21-point fourth-quarter lead dwindle to one thanks to a 21-2 rally by Dallas. But Boston never allowed the Mavs to get over the hump, closing out on a 13-7 run.

“You never want to give up a 20-point lead,” said Tatum. “Obviously we wish we would have got some better shots, took care of the ball. But things happen. It's never going to go how you expect it, and we talk about that all the time. But if you want to be a champion, you have to be resilient in those moments, and we showed that tonight.”

Both Tatum and Brown were resilient in those late-game moments, hitting big shots and coming up with big stops. Brown began Boston’s closing run with a tip-in off an offensive rebound. Then Tatum hammered the nail in the coffin with a driving dunk that sucked the life out of American Airlines Center.

Tatum (31 points, six rebounds, five assists) led the team in scoring while Brown (30 points, eight rebounds, eight assists) led the team in both rebounds and assists.

They became just the second Celtics tandem to score at least 30 points in the same game, joining John Havlicek (40 points) and Bailey Howell (30 points), who accomplished the feat in the 1968 championship-clinching game over the Los Angeles Lakers.

They also became the sixth duo in Finals history to record at least 30 points, five rebounds, and five assists apiece, joining Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray (2023 Finals), Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant (twice in the 2017 Finals), Orlando’s Penny Hardaway and Shaquille O’Neal (1995 Finals), Los Angeles’ Elgin Baylor and Jerry West (1968 Finals), and Philadelphia’s Hal Greer and Wali Jones (1967 Finals).

Holding off Dallas’ comeback attempt was the most important Finals moment of Brown and Tatum’s partnership to date. Had the Mavericks come back to win, this series would have had an entirely different feel heading into Game 4.

Instead, the Celtics are just one step from reaching their ultimate goal. And their superstar tandem deserved a chance to stop and embrace the position that they now find themselves in.

“Those are the moments which you have to just live for,” said Brown. “We've been in those moments a lot. We just needed to be patient, to be poised.

“We were able to make plays and find a way to win. And we've been in those positions, and we've lost. It was great to overcome that with my brother, Jayson, and with our team. That was special.”

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Brown & Tatum Embrace Gritty Game 3 Win, Putting C’s on Cusp of Glory

In order to get over the mountaintop, one must deliver championship responses.

The Boston Celtics had them Wednesday night.

The Celtics righted their ship just in time to take a commanding 3-0 series lead after it appeared the Mavs may pull off a miraculous comeback. Boston’s once 21-point, fourth-quarter lead had been whittled down all the way to one with 3:37 left. And that’s when Boston made play after play to secure a 106-99 victory.

First, it was Jaylen Brown with a putback layup. Then, it was Derrick White with a 3-pointer. Then, Jayson Tatum put home a thunderous slam to make it a six-point game with 2:17 left.

Dallas again climbed to within two with 1:20 left but again, the C’s responded. Brown canned a pullup jumper to push it back to four, and then White and Tatum connected on four straight free throws to make it a 106-98 game with 14.6 seconds left.

Combine all of those scores together with just enough defense, and all-out effort across the board during the final three-plus minutes, and you have yourself a bona fide championship response. That championship response now has the Celtics on the doorstep of securing their 18th&nbsp;World Championship.

Q4 2:17 - [BOS 100-94] Tatum Driving Dunk Shot: Made (29 PTS) Assist: White (4 AST)

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Keys to the Game: Celtics 106, Mavericks 99

DALLAS -- The NBA Finals enters a pivotal Game 3 with two distinct possibilities: the Boston Celtics take a commanding 3-0 lead and inch closer to the franchise's first title since 2008, or the Dallas Mavericks show some life and start to turn the tide of what has been a one-sided series so far.

Boston is in the driver's seat based on league history, as 31 of 36 teams who had a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals went on to win it. So, what's the Celtics approach going into Game 3 as they look to extend their perfect road record in the playoffs to 7-0?

"Trying to be the hungrier team," Boston guard Jrue Holiday said. "We're going to go out there and try and execute a game plan."

The Celtics have proven to be the deeper, more talented team early on. Boston has been winning despite struggling on the offensive end such as shooting just 10 of 39 (25.6 percent) from 3-point range in Game 2.

The Mavs, meanwhile, can't rely solely on Luka Doncic, who posted a triple-double with 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in Game 2, a 105-98 loss at Boston. Doncic put together that performance after being listed as questionable for the game. It was revealed that he sustained a chest injury in Game 1 to go along with lingering issues with his right knee and left ankle.

Doncic, who is probable for Game 3, addressed his status on Tuesday, saying: "I feel good. I don't want to get in any more details, but I feel good."

The bigger question for the Mavs is finding a way to get Doncic's top running mate, Kyrie Irving, going after a slow start. In the two games in Boston, Irving averaged just 14 points on a combined 13-for-37 shooting, including 0-for-8 from long range. If Dallas wants to get back in the series, Irving needs to find a way to make a greater impact.

"They're not going to stop pressing us, stop their pace, stop testing us on both ends of the floor," Irving said. "We know what we're in for. But now we have to raise it to an even higher level, and it starts with me."

Of course, that's easier said than done against a Boston defense that is dynamic and versatile. The Celtics have used multiple defenders to slow down the Mavs' backcourt with Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Jayson Tatum all being options to provide different looks against Doncic and Irving.

Offensively, the Celtics have gotten it done despite a couple of off nights from Tatum, a five-time All-Star and first-team All-NBA selection for three straight seasons. Holiday stepped up in Game 2, scoring a team-best 26 points. In Game 1, Brown led the team with 22 points.

Tatum is taking it all in stride, acknowledging that he has to be a better shooter but taking pride by making an impact in other ways. He's also just one good night away from changing the narrative.

"One game, I could explode. All the percentages and things like that could change," Tatum said. "So, it's just that mindset of I'm one game away or whatever that means."

On Boston's injury front, center Kristaps Porzingis is hopeful he'll be able to play after sustaining a left leg injury late in Game 2. The Celtics announced it is unrelated to Porzingis' previous right calf injury. If Porzingis is cleared to play in Game 3, it would be his first appearance in Dallas since being traded by the Mavs in February 2022.

Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said the decision on Porzingis' status - listed Tuesday as questionable -- will come down to the medical staff.

"He's doing anything and everything he can to be ready for the game tomorrow. It's a serious injury," Mazzulla said. "At the end of the day, our team and the medical team is not going to put him in any bad situations."

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6/12 Game 3 Preview: Celtics at Mavericks

BOSTON – Celtics Center Kristaps Porzingis suffered a torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg at 3:27 of the third quarter of Game 2. The injury is unrelated to Porzingis’s prior right calf injury. After consultation with numerous specialists regarding this rare injury, his availability for upcoming games will be determined day-to-day.

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Kristaps Porzingis Injury Update

BOSTON – Momentum had started to shift in Dallas’ direction toward the end of the third quarter of Game 2 Sunday night, as they went on an 11-5 run against the Celtics to cut what had been a 12-point deficit in half.

So Boston unleashed its end-of-quarter momentum killer.

With 3.3 seconds remaining in the frame, Payton Pritchard checked himself into the game. It was barely enough time to go full-court for a bucket, but “barely enough time” is Pritchard’s time to shine.

The fourth-year point guard caught the inbound pass from Jayson Tatum, sprinted past center court, and banked in a 34-foot heave, sending TD Garden into a frenzy. Not only did it give Boston an 83-74 lead, but it breathed life back into the arena after the Mavericks had been rolling, and that energy carried into the fourth quarter where the C’s maintained control for a 105-98 win.

When Joe Mazzulla began his postgame speech back in the locker room, Pritchard’s shot was the first item he pointed out.

“Everyone made great plays, but maybe the play, more than anything else, was that shot right there,” the head coach said with his team gathered around him in a semicircle, pointing straight ahead to Pritchard. “The humility and the toughness to go in and take that shot with three seconds, that’s the difference between winning and losing. So thank you for taking that shot.”

It was also the first topic Mazzulla touched upon in his postgame interview with the media, even though the opening question had nothing to do with Pritchard’s play.

“I think the play of the game can't go unnoticed, the humility of our team, is Payton's shot at the end of the quarter,” he said. “You see guys around the league pass up on that shot or fake like they want to take it so that their numbers don't get messed up. He takes pride in taking that, and that's winning basketball.”

Pritchard has taken pride in that shot all season long. He has made 15 shots this season within the final three seconds of a quarter at a 35.7 percent clip, which is great efficiency for such a low-percentage scoring possession.

The only players who have made more are Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox (28), Jayson Tatum (17), and Trae Young (16) – each of whom are All-Stars and averaged at least 35 minutes per game this season. Pritchard, on the other hand, is a reserve who averages just over 20 minutes per game.

He has become an end-of-quarter shot specialist – a role that many players shy away from since it’s bound to bring down their shooting numbers, but a role that Pritchard has come to embrace.

“It’s a basketball play,” Pritchard said after making a similar shot at the end of the third quarter in Game 1 of the second round against Cleveland. “We should take those shots, even if it’s full-court. Like, what if that goes in? That’s another three points.”

At this point, it’s almost expected to go in when Pritchard takes one of those shots.

“That's what Payton Pritchard does,” said Derrick White. “If you watch us late-clock, he doesn't shy away from that moment. That was a big-time shot, kind of got us momentum. You just love Payton. You love competing with him. It was a big-time shot.”

A shot that was the biggest winning play in the biggest win of the season so far.

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Pritchard Ranks Among NBA's Best End-of-Quarter Shooters

BOSTON – Jrue Holiday is the only member of this Celtics team who has experienced what it takes to win an NBA championship. And he will do whatever it takes to go through that experience again.

It doesn't matter to him whether it’s scoring, facilitating, rebounding, defending, or a mixture of all the above.

“I'm a utility guy. I'll do whatever,” Holiday said. “I'm here to win. I feel like they brought me here to win, and I'll do my best to do that.”

Those words came to life in Game 2 of the NBA Finals Sunday night when the 15-year veteran did a little bit of everything to help guide Boston to a 105-98 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Holiday led the team in scoring with 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting. He led the game in rebounds with a playoff career-high-tying 11 boards. He handed out three assists. And his fingerprints were all over Boston’s defensive effort of holding Dallas’ high-powered offense to fewer than 100 points for the second straight game to give the C’s a 2-0 lead in the series.

“He was unbelievable,” said teammate Al Horford. “His effort defensively and everything he brings on that end. And then on offense, making reads, making the game easy, making the right decisions. He’s so poised and you can tell that he has been in these types of moments. Just very composed and just out there getting the job done.”

Holiday went through these moments with the Milwaukee Bucks during their 2021 championship run, and it shows.

Derrick White says it’s shown ever since Holiday stepped foot into the gym last fall – in how he carries himself and how he's been willing to sacrifice his role to help the team maximize its potential.

“That experience, that championship DNA, which you hear all about all the time, you don't really know what it takes until you do what it takes,” White said. “Just the moment he came to our team in training camp, he kind of just had that presence about him. He just knows how to win.”

Holiday’s presence has been defined by leading with actions over words.

“I won't say that I do much or I talk much,” he said. “I just go out there and I play as hard as I can and do whatever the team needs for us to win.”

In Games 1 and 2 of the Finals, that translated to a total of 38 points, 19 rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and zero turnovers in 75 minutes of action.

Though when he does talk, everyone listens.

“He's brought championship pedigree to our team,” said Jaylen Brown. “So nothing Jrue says we question. Jrue, he comes in and he just is who he is. He's got that demeanor, that killer-like mentality, and we respect it. He's a great teammate and it's just an honor to play next to him.”

Part of that championship pedigree includes staying grounded no matter what the series score is. After all, he was on a Bucks team that battled back from a 0-2 deficit and went on to win four straight against the Phoenix Suns.

“We know being up 2-0 means nothing,” Holiday said. “Job's not done. We have to do whatever it takes.”