Will Luka and Kyrie Force a Pressured Game 6 in Dallas
The Boston Celtics have a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Dallas Mavericks despite being outscored in the series by 408 points to 402 points. This is mainly because of Dallas’ historical 38-point game four wins, which should wake Boston up for the upcoming game five… or will it?
Dallas will be playing with a high sense of urgency the rest of the series and will hope to force a game six back in Dallas. Boston, throughout the Tatum and Brown era, has a history of not beating teams they are supposed to beat. Knowing and remembering this, after watching Boston lose game four by 38 points, it’s not hard to imagine Boston losing game five and seeing Dallas force an ever-so-important game six back in Dallas. A game, in which, all the pressure would be on the Celtics.
Kyrie Irving has been terrible in Boston since his departure, but if Dallas has any hope of making history it starts with Kyrie Irving changing the narrative of his play in Boston. Kyrie did not hit a three-pointer in the first two games of the series in Boston and only averaged 14 points while being very inefficient from the field. For Dallas to win tonight, that must be much different. Kyrie is the most important player for Dallas because you don’t have to worry about the consistency of Luka Doncic, and if they have any chance of doing the unthinkable it starts with Irving. Irving is no stranger to comebacks and big-pressure games, as he was a major part of the Cavaliers when they pulled off their historical comeback against the Golden State Warriors back in 2016. If there is a comeback in the making, it starts with Kyrie Irving being the player he was throughout his entire career when on the floor.
The Boston Celtics are hoping that there is no chance of packing their bags for game six in Dallas and will be hopeful to celebrate on their home floor tonight. Boston has not had an efficient game from behind the three-point line in the entire series, despite this they still lead the series 3-1. This may give Boston fans some sigh of relief when they think about their team blowing a 3-0 lead. The relief may come from understanding that there should be a game where the Celtics are hitting on all cylinders and that game may come tonight, as they look to close the series out at home. Right now, there is no need to panic, but if the Celtics lose tonight there will certainly be some skepticism for a hypothetical game six in Dallas.
Brown has been the best player for Boston in this series, hitting almost every big shot for the team, and playing very good defense. Boston is much deeper than the Mavericks, and that has reared its head throughout the first four games of the Finals. Besides Boston’s game four blunder, it has been very clear that players like Derrick White, and Jrue Holiday are much better role players with experience, than anyone Dallas has to offer after Kyrie and Luka. The holiday has been terrific for Boston. Through the first three games of the Finals, he was the first player to log 100 plus minutes, 10 plus assists, and zero turnovers over a three game span since turnovers started being tracked.
Irving can begin regaining and solidifying his legacy starting tonight if he performs at a high level and leads Dallas with Luka Doncic back from this 3-1 deficit. Luka Doncic will look to keep his first NBA Finals hopes alive and remind people why he’s the best player in the series. For Boston, Brown and Tatum will look to get their first NBA Finals Ring, avoid all the criticism they will potentially receive, and focus on creating a dynasty in the upcoming years. No matter the outcome, expect a historic game six tonight in Boston.
