Celtics Looking For Finals Sweep
By Dan Bruno
The Dallas Mavericks play host to the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the NBA Finals at American Airlines Center on Friday evening.
The Celtics lead the series 3-0, after coming up dominant in Game 1, followed by a hard-fought win in Game 2 and a strong finish in Game 3. They have a chance to close out the sweep and secure an NBA title on the road, while the Mavs hope to take a step towards the impossible as no team has ever come back to win a series after trailing 3-0.
Jayson Tatum is coming off his best scoring performance of the series with 31 points on 11-for-26 shooting, while also limiting himself to a series-low two turnovers in Game 3. He did not hit the 20-point mark in Game 1 or 2, but finished with double-doubles in both outings and is averaging 21.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 0.7 steals and 3.7 turnovers in the series. Jaylen Brown racked up 30 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and a block in Game 3 and is averaging 24.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks in the Finals. Jrue Holiday and Derrick White have come up clutch all playoffs and continue to make winning plays for the Celtics when it matters most.
Meanwhile, Luka Doncic leads the Mavs averaging 29.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.3 steals in the Finals, but he also averaged 5.0 turnovers through the three outings. Kyrie Irving came up relatively quiet in Game 1 and 2, but bounced back with a team-high 35 points on 13-for-28 shooting in Game 3. P.J. Washington scored at least 13 points in each of the last three games and has a total of 23 rebounds in the series. Dereck Lively was quiet in the first two games but came up with a double-double in Game 3, while Daniel Gafford is averaging 9.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in the Finals.
The Celtics lead the series 3-0, after coming up dominant in Game 1, followed by a hard-fought win in Game 2 and a strong finish in Game 3. They have a chance to close out the sweep and secure an NBA title on the road, while the Mavs hope to take a step towards the impossible as no team has ever come back to win a series after trailing 3-0.
Jayson Tatum is coming off his best scoring performance of the series with 31 points on 11-for-26 shooting, while also limiting himself to a series-low two turnovers in Game 3. He did not hit the 20-point mark in Game 1 or 2, but finished with double-doubles in both outings and is averaging 21.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 0.7 steals and 3.7 turnovers in the series. Jaylen Brown racked up 30 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and a block in Game 3 and is averaging 24.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks in the Finals. Jrue Holiday and Derrick White have come up clutch all playoffs and continue to make winning plays for the Celtics when it matters most.
Meanwhile, Luka Doncic leads the Mavs averaging 29.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.3 steals in the Finals, but he also averaged 5.0 turnovers through the three outings. Kyrie Irving came up relatively quiet in Game 1 and 2, but bounced back with a team-high 35 points on 13-for-28 shooting in Game 3. P.J. Washington scored at least 13 points in each of the last three games and has a total of 23 rebounds in the series. Dereck Lively was quiet in the first two games but came up with a double-double in Game 3, while Daniel Gafford is averaging 9.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in the Finals.