Scal and Eddie House share keys to C’s Game 3 win vs. Mavs

Scal and Eddie House share keys to C’s Game 3 win vs. Mavs originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics are two wins away from Banner 18, but they can’t get complacent as the NBA Finals shift to Dallas for Game 3.

They can expect the Mavericks to fight back in front of their home crowd after being defeated in Games 1 and 2 at TD Garden. To avoid this, Boston will need to keep its foot on the gas and execute its defensive game plan as well as it did in its two victories.

Part of that plan includes continuing to limit Kyrie Irving. The Mavs’ star point guard is shooting just 35.1 percent from the floor and has missed all eight of his 3-point attempts.

On Tuesdays Early EditionBrian Scalabrine said keeping Irving under control will be key to the Celtics winning again in Game 3.

“The key to the game is Kyrie Irving,” Scalabrine said. “If you can keep him to 14 points – someone said the best offensive backcourt of all time and Kyrie is averaging 14 points. We all know Kyrie, he played for us and was a disaster at times, but you can’t argue with his talent. It’s hard to hold Kyrie down for five games in a row, I think in Game 3, he feels that pressure and he’s in big moments.

Former Celtic and 2008 NBA Champion Eddie House believes the C’s must play with “controlled desperation” to take a 3-0 series lead.

“For me, the key to Game 3 is to get out of despair, but out of controlled despair,” House said. “It’s going out and playing more desperate than them, but under control, because they will come out desperate swinging wildly, almost like a dog in the corner trying to bite everything, right?

“We have to be like that too, but be a little more controlled and calculated in how we use our desperation, but we have to match and overcome. You heard Jrue Holiday talk about it, you also heard Jaylen Brown talk about it. So I like their mentality coming into this game.”

The Celtics may have to beat the Mavs without their star Kristaps Porzingis. His status for Game 3 and the rest of the series is up in the air due to a “rare” injury to the left leg he suffered on Sunday. Boston is 30-5 without Porzingis this season, but his absence could hurt Dallas’ frontcourt duo of Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford.

Tip-off for Game 3 is scheduled for 8:30 pm ET on Wednesday at the American Airlines Center. Coverage starts at 6:30 pm with Celtics pregame live on NBC Sports Boston.