Mavericks vs. Celtics NBA Finals, Game 4: Three takeaways, analysis and stats from Dallas’ victory

Discussion of the history of the local Celtics franchise can be put on hold. The same could happen with overreacting to Luka Doncic’s defense.

With their season on the line, Dallas showed up with desperate energy and Doncic played like the star we’ve been waiting for every series. Given that and the comfort of a 3-0 series lead, Boston never came close to matching that energy. There was no race. Look at it this way: Boston had the best offense (statistically) in NBA history during the regular season, a 122.2 offensive rating. In the first half of Game 4, they had an offensive rating of 76.1.

The result was a surprising 122-84 victory for the Mavericks, which saw both teams pull their starters in the third. That forces a Game 5 on Monday night in Boston.

Here are three takeaways from Game 4.

1) Desperate Dallas is the best Dallas

Was Dallas’ defense better? Yes. Was this Luka Doncic’s best game in the NBA Finals? By far. This is the Luka we’ve been waiting for.

However, any conversation about what Dallas did right starts with the desperate energy they played with from the opening tip.

“It’s very simple. We don’t need to complicate this. This is not surgery. Our group was ready to leave. They were ready to celebrate. Understand, we take a stand. We were desperate,” said Jason Kidd. “We have to keep playing this way, understand that they are trying to find a way to close the door. The hardest thing about this championship is closing the door when you have a group that has nothing to lose. Tonight you saw it.

Dallas played faster, with more freedom and with the motivation of a team that didn’t want its season to end. Everything else flowed from that.

“We waited until Game 4 to finally play our best game,” Kyrie Irving said. “It took long enough for all of us to get to the party together and play for each other like we did tonight.

“But it’s definitely a possibility that we can replicate it. We understand that we will face the same great Boston team that will make things difficult. We are going to their house. We have another opportunity to extend the season. That’s all we can ask for.”

2) Dallas has found its defensive system

That started with the fourth quarter comeback in Game 3 – the Mavericks figured out what they want to do. They kept their bigs closer to the rim, were physical at the point of attack, made sharp rotations, made stops and then turned that into a transition the other way. Friday night in Game 4 was the best the Mavericks have had on defense in this series. By far.

“They did a great job flying around, leaving us torn between shooting or driving and their multiple efforts. And I thought their five guys did a great job protecting the paint,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “Every time we made a layup, there were several guys competing. I thought they did a great job flying the defensive end.”

Early in the series, especially when Kristaps Porzingis was on the court, the Mavericks kept their tallest big man on the floor — away from the paint — because they feared Boston’s 3-point shot. This opened up driving lanes and led to layups or drive-and-kick plays for the Celtics.

Dallas has come to the conclusion (just as it did against Oklahoma City) that its defense is better when one of its centers – Daniel Gafford or Derrick Lively – lives near the rim. The Mavericks wanted to get the easy buckets.

It worked. Boston shot just 10 of 17 in the restricted area and 3 of 16 from beyond the arc. The Celtics didn’t make them pay with 3s.

Can Dallas now replicate that on the road in Boston? That’s the next big test.

3) Luka Doncic responded to his critics

That was MVP Luka.

He looked like himself on offense, scoring 29 points – 13 in a remarkable first quarter – despite going 0 of 8 from 3. His passing was accurate. Most importantly, he played with pace and didn’t let the Celtics’ offense get set.

Most importantly, Doncic defended much better. He kept Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in front of him, and three times he not only kept Jrue Holiday in front of him and kicked the ball away. He used his size and cut the lanes.

It looked a lot more like Dallas’ defense in the last two Western Conference series. Whether they can sustain this in Jardim is the next big question.