The Boston Celtics have taken a commanding 3-0 series lead vs. the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals, thanks to some clutch play from Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum as they combined for 61 points in Boston's 106-99 Game 3 victory, and elite defense late in the game's second half.
That the win came with star Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis having to sit out the game with an injury sustained n game 2 makes the outcome even more impressive given the haymakers Dallas threw early. Now, Boston finds themselves with a series lead that has never been overcome and a chance to close out the finals on the Mavericks' home court.
Will they win this series in four or five games? Will Porzingis play again in the finals? Where are the haters who told us Boston has no bench and wilts under pressure? And most importantly, how many bouquets of flowers do we collectively need to give the Jays, Joe Mazzulla, and Brad Stevens?
The hosts of the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast took it all in after Game 3 with an eye to what might be coming next. Revel in the Celtics being on the cusp of the long-coveted Banner 18 with us as we try to soak it all in.
Prize Picks! Get in on the excitement with PrizePicks, America’s No. 1 Fantasy Sports App, where you can turn your hoops knowledge into serious cash. Download the app today and use code CLNS for a first deposit match up to $100! Pick more. Pick less. It’s that Easy! Go to https://PrizePicks.com/CLNS
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That the win came with star Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis having to sit out the game with an injury sustained n game 2 makes the outcome even more impressive given the haymakers Dallas threw early. Now, Boston finds themselves with a series lead that has never been overcome and a chance to close out the finals on the Mavericks' home court.
Will they win this series in four or five games? Will Porzingis play again in the finals? Where are the haters who told us Boston has no bench and wilts under pressure? And most importantly, how many bouquets of flowers do we collectively need to give the Jays, Joe Mazzulla, and Brad Stevens?
The hosts of the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast took it all in after Game 3 with an eye to what might be coming next. Revel in the Celtics being on the cusp of the long-coveted Banner 18 with us as we try to soak it all in.
Prize Picks! Get in on the excitement with PrizePicks, America’s No. 1 Fantasy Sports App, where you can turn your hoops knowledge into serious cash. Download the app today and use code CLNS for a first deposit match up to $100! Pick more. Pick less. It’s that Easy! Go to https://PrizePicks.com/CLNS
Gametime! Take the guesswork out of buying NBA tickets with Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase. Download Gametime today. Last minute tickets. Lowest Price. Guaranteed. Terms apply. Go to https://gametime.co !
Elevate your style game on and off the course with the PXG Spring Summer 2024 collection. Head over to https://PXG.com/GARDENREPORT and save 10% on all apparel.
Nutrafol Men! Take the first step to visibly thicker, healthier hair. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners ten dollars off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you go to https://Nutrafol.com/MEN and enter the promo code GARDEN!
#celtics #NBA #BostonCeltics
The CLNS Media Network is the leading provider for video/audio content. CLNS is a fully credentialed member of the media with access to all NFL/NBA/NHL/MLB teams & venues.
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CLNS' rebuilt their YouTube community in less than 12 months, during a pandemic that attacked sports. Wondering how? Find out here (and support our channel) - https://www.tubebuddy.com/clnsmedia
Visit the Official Home of CLNS Sports Coverage - https://clnsmedia.com
Twitter - / clnsmedia
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Patriots - / patriotsclns
Bruins - / bruinsclns
Red Sox - / redsoxclns
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INSTA Celtics - / celticsclns
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SportsTranscript
00:00Alrighty, welcome to the Celtics Lab podcast, brought to you by PrizeFix, the exclusive
00:13fantasy basketball partner of the CLMS Media Network, and by Game Time Tickets, last-minute
00:17tickets, lowest price guaranteed.
00:18My name is Cameron Tepes-Paye.
00:19I have a cut on the tip of my tongue, and it's harder to talk than I realized it was
00:24going to be, but whatever.
00:25I'm here with Alex Goldberg and Dr. Justin Quinn, and we're feeling good because the
00:30Boston Celtics just took care of business, got a little dicey there, but took care of
00:33business in Dallas.
00:34They're up three games to zero in the NBA Finals.
00:38I think Celtics fans know that no team in NBA history has ever blown a 3-0 postseason
00:44series lead, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
00:47Alex, how are you feeling?
00:50I'm feeling good.
00:51I took a nice, long, relaxing walk home from the bar that I was watching at.
00:58It's beautiful here in Brooklyn, so it was a good night for a walk.
01:01I was feeling very stressed, and many people around me can attest to that, when Celtics
01:08did the thing that they almost, like clockwork, seem to do, where they just piss away a 20-point
01:16lead, but...
01:17Yeah, that got dicey fast.
01:19They held in there, they maintained composure, they survived an onslaught from the Dallas
01:26Mavericks, and now, folks, we are here.
01:30Boston Celtics are on the precipice of securing Banner 18.
01:34Yeah, I think it was 22-2 run over the five minutes there in the fourth quarter.
01:39I was writing about it, and I was like, oh, 14, that's cute, oh, 16, uh-oh, and on and
01:43on it went.
01:44Dr. Justin Quinn, how are you feeling?
01:48I am feeling like no one's ever come back from a 0-3 deficit in NBA Finals history,
01:55and really trying to contain my enthusiasm, but I don't really know if there's any good
02:00reason to, considering we have 77, 78 years of basketball where this has not been done,
02:07so yeah.
02:08That.
02:09Yeah, it feels pretty mighty.
02:15I think Dallas is not that good, is my opinion, and so I didn't think they were ever going
02:20to complete that comeback, but it does feel good to see Boston not smoke that game, Alex,
02:25because we've seen them smoke games like that, or nearly smoke games like that, or...
02:29It wasn't even that they were playing that dumb, it was just like Dallas hit a bunch
02:32of shots and Boston didn't.
02:34As far as 22-2 runs go, it was kind of low drama, except for probably the biggest play
02:41of the game, which was Luke Doncic fouling out on what was supposedly his sixth run.
02:45I think some people might have had it at seventh or eighth.
02:49Alex, what were your thoughts during the Luke Doncic extended review there?
02:53So I fully expected, and I'll be honest and say, that was a 50-50 call, and I fully expected
03:01that it was going to get overturned and they were going to leave Luka in the game, given
03:05the stakes of where he was at.
03:06Star player, critical moment, absolutely.
03:07I think he was a star player in the NBA Finals.
03:10I think you could pretty clearly argue Jalen got away with a chicken wing and tossed him
03:15a little bit, but I'm also seeing a lot of people on the Dallas Mavericks Twitter side
03:21talking about how you can't have Luka foul out in that moment if you're in the NBA.
03:26You can't do it.
03:27It's bad for the game.
03:29And my response to that is play some better defense, Luka Doncic.
03:35If you don't want to foul out, maybe try actually sliding your feet and don't put yourself in
03:41a position where you have five fouls with five minutes remaining in a critical game
03:46that you absolutely have to win, because here's the thing.
03:49Those 50-50 calls happen.
03:52Jalen Brown was driving at Luka for the entire game, and Luka did not do a good job covering.
03:58He did an all right job in the first half.
04:01The second half, the dam broke open, and instead of defending him one-on-one, which I think
04:08is a big ask for Luka, let's be clear.
04:10Luka's really good, and Luka's not exactly a premium defender.
04:14Listen, man, it's the NBA Finals.
04:18On the one hand, yeah, you can probably argue that a couple of those calls were 50-50 calls,
04:23and you don't want star players to foul out in the NBA Finals.
04:25On the other hand, if you play good defense, you're not in that position.
04:30So to me, obviously, I'm biased.
04:34I thought I was surprised that that call was the call that was made, and I can understand
04:41why Dallas fans would be mad about that call specifically, as well as the call before it,
04:46frankly.
04:47Luka's got to be better if he wants to be in the situation where that call doesn't dictate
04:52the outcome of a game.
04:54I mean, that's generally the response.
04:57Anytime people start crying about referees, no matter what team you're rooting for, don't
05:01put your team in a position where a ref's whistle can decide the game for you.
05:06Luka was 3-for-15 in the fourth quarter.
05:08Luka got 15 shots off in the fourth quarter?
05:12Yeah.
05:13He was 3-for-15...
05:14Oh, sorry.
05:15In the fourth quarter over the course of the whole Finals.
05:17Yeah, he's been so out of gas.
05:19I mean, he's broken, but...
05:23It just has to be said, listen, one of the biggest reasons that Boston is up 3-0 right
05:29now is because Luka has not been able to guard any of the guys that are coming at him, specifically
05:34Jalen Brown, but it hasn't happened.
05:38He just hasn't been able to do it.
05:40And that's just kind of the way that these things go.
05:44He made a conscious choice that he was going to foul instead of allowing blow-bys, which
05:49have killed Dallas all series, and he got burned for it.
05:53Yeah, I want to be sympathetic to the fact that he is literally getting injections in
05:59between his ribs so that he doesn't feel pain.
06:01Actually, there was that play where he and Jalen went flying, and Luka came off all smiles.
06:07I kind of thought that that was going to be the end of the night for Luka, and I would
06:10love to know what the shooting splits were before and after that moment, but yeah, Luka
06:14has never been a plus defender, so even if his body wasn't broken, I think this would
06:19still be happening.
06:20Same with Kyrie.
06:21Jalen, very classy in his post-game interview, was like, yeah, it was good to see Kyrie compete.
06:26It was a classic Kyrie game.
06:27It just wasn't enough.
06:29And it was.
06:30I mean, that's probably the right way to put it, but Kyrie was also bad on defense.
06:35Look, we had this all series long.
06:37We had this before the series began.
06:38I think even when we were talking about Mav's Timberwolves, that the Mavericks stink on
06:43defense.
06:44I never thought that the data was robust enough to suggest they'd turn the corner, and look
06:50at all this proof that we found in this NBA Finals pudding.
06:53I mean, they're not good at defense at all.
06:55There's no... sometime someone will erase a 3-0 series lead.
07:01The league is talented.
07:03There's a lot of three-pointers, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
07:05This Dallas team will not be doing that.
07:07They are not good enough.
07:08Like, flat out, they are not good enough.
07:11Okay.
07:12I'll push back a little bit that they're not good at defense.
07:14They're not good at defense in this matchup, which is important.
07:18I mean, I'm going to push back on your pushback all the way back.
07:22Okay, and earlier in the regular season, they were a bad defensive team.
07:26They figured some stuff out, but the Celtics have taken that habit.
07:30They've managed to get to being an average defensive team.
07:34I don't think they were ever good, per se.
07:38The playoffs, they ran into a Clippers team with a dying Kawhi Leonard, and their offense
07:44was already bad as it was.
07:46They ran into the Oklahoma City Thunder, who I think everybody on this podcast agreed,
07:51outside of Shea Gildress Alexander, the lights were a little too bright for those guys.
07:56Look at their trade deadline.
07:57They knew it, too.
07:58They knew they weren't going ... They were playing with house money.
08:00They knew it, too.
08:01Yeah.
08:02Shea was great.
08:03Shea cannot single-handedly win a series.
08:06I think the matchup was not particularly great for OKC in a lot of respects, as well.
08:11Timberwolves' offense is not good.
08:14They were really, really talented, and they were perfectly designed to beat the Denver
08:19Nuggets, specifically.
08:21I was really bullish on the Timberwolves all year because of their defense.
08:25Offensively, they didn't have the juice to challenge this Dallas team.
08:30What Boston is doing right now is they can credibly defend ... Why is my camera like
08:35this?
08:36My God.
08:37You'll play.
08:38They can credibly defend Dallas at as high a level as anybody in the league, and they
08:44can also punish them on the other end.
08:47Dallas hasn't yet encountered a team that can do both, and the results are starting
08:51to show.
08:52Yeah.
08:53It's pretty swell.
08:54Like we said, it looks like it's blouses for Dallas, and we can talk about when the fat
09:01lady sings.
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10:01All right.
10:02Back to the program.
10:03Yeah.
10:04Alex, you hit on that.
10:05Boston's defense is quite good.
10:08Jalen Brown.
10:09Man.
10:11Look, the whole theory of the case this year was the Jays are going to turn the corner.
10:17And we could wish cast and future cast what those things would look like.
10:20But one of the ways that Jalen Brown has fundamentally leveled up is on defense.
10:25And obviously, ad nauseum, we've talked about he checks the best player, blah, blah, blah.
10:32He's a really good health defender.
10:34He's getting his Derek White chased down blocks.
10:39Jalen Brown, I don't know that he deserved all defense this year.
10:42I think probably he didn't, quite frankly.
10:46But he's maybe been the best defensive player in the entire NBA playoffs this year.
10:49And I don't think that that's an outrageous take.
10:51Justin, talk more about this Celtics defense and what you're liking about it and what you're
10:57expecting to see in games four and or five and or six.
11:02I mean, I cannot sing the praises of them bringing up the clamps.
11:07Many times things started to get out of control all season long.
11:10I'm sure you're tired of hearing me talk about how this is an offensive team that or a defensive
11:17team that thinks it's an offensive team.
11:19Well, it's they know that now.
11:22And whether they knew that before or not, I have no idea, but they very clearly know
11:25it now.
11:26And they've been executing anytime things start to slip, anytime they start to feel
11:30like they are letting go of the rope, they dial back in on the defense.
11:34And honestly, it's a thing of beauty.
11:37I have been waiting for this version of the team.
11:41And it's not it's not just on defense to like we are seeing a real time evolution of Jalen
11:47Brown and Jason Tatum as a tandem.
11:49And I want to really harp on that while I have the microphone here, just because we
11:54have heard all these ridiculous like a new version even of can they play together as
12:00in is Jalen Brown really the best player on this team?
12:04He would not be the player he is being defensively or in general, if it wasn't for what Jason
12:09Tatum is doing, and vice versa.
12:12And the analysis that I've heard in some corners on a national level has been really shallow
12:17and completely ignoring that fact and it needs to stop the doctor, check this out, check
12:22this out.
12:23This is a good teammates set each other up.
12:25So I'm going to set Alex up because I know Alex has two fantastic points to respond.
12:29So Alex, first of all, talk about your comp for the Jays that you've been on, which I
12:34think is quite good.
12:35But also speaking of the Celtics, not tapping out, talk about the crazy thing we learned
12:40Joe Missoula did.
12:42So for my comp for the Celtics, there was a team that existed in the early 2000s, late
12:5090s, that was a germ of an idea of what this team could have become.
12:57And it was ahead of its time and it didn't work because of egos and because of money
13:02and because of injuries.
13:05But the vision for what the Jays have become is what the Orlando Magic tried to do with
13:12Grant Hill and T-Mac in terms of having a big athletic ball handling forward who can
13:19play defense in a variety of different positions, who can set his teammates up and who can also
13:24create his own offense in terms of shooting and scoring in the paint.
13:28Jason Tatum and Grant Hill are very, very similar.
13:31Jason Tatum has had a better career than Grant Hill, let's be clear.
13:34But the vision for Grant Hill, if he doesn't get hurt repeatedly by wearing bad shoes,
13:40is Jason Tatum.
13:42Jalen Brown is playing as well as Tracy McGrady has at any point in his career right now.
13:50Long, athletic defender, able to shuffle his feet and get in front of just about anybody.
13:57One of the best individual shot creators that the league has to offer.
14:00A true matchup nightmare and a devastating above-the-rim player.
14:06The vision for this Celtics team started with the late 90s, early 2000s Orlando Magic.
14:13I guess it would have been the early 2000s because Shaq was the 90s Magic.
14:19T-Mac and Grant were the blueprint for what Tame and Brown became.
14:23And you mentioned tapping out and the Celtics, I think, there was a point in this game where
14:31the Celtics definitely could have tapped out, where Luka was putting on a huge run, where
14:37Kyrie Irving was rolling and Kyrie, let's be clear, was very, very good tonight until
14:43the last possible moment.
14:45The Mavs were getting threes, P.J. Washington was hitting, they were making big stops, Derek
14:50Lively was particularly clutch.
14:53Joe Mazzuola, the NBA's craziest head coach, apparently said, not in this game, but has
15:02in the past said, and this is per Jason Tatum, Jared Weiss, our buddy, had the scoop on this,
15:09Joe Mazzuola apparently shows the team videos of UFC fighters getting choked out in the
15:16locker room to show how they stay calm in these moments and fight back.
15:21I'm reading the tweet from Jared Berg-Bateman.
15:23Guys, there has never been a crazier head coach than Joe Mazzuola.
15:29And I mean this in a highly complimentary fashion.
15:31Well, did you see what Sam Houser said?
15:34He said that Joe showed them clips of orca whales attacking their prey, yeah, their prey
15:40to talk about predator-prey relationships.
15:43So yes, you're talking about yes.
15:45Yes, yes.
15:46Well, actually, did you see my thread on that?
15:49Because that ended up just being teenage orcas who were just bored, and apparently their
15:54favorite game is steal the rudder.
15:57So that was less about predation and more literally bored teenagers.
16:01All this is to say, folks.
16:04The Celtics have had a number of coaches, you know, they've had three during this era.
16:09Brad Stevens, brilliant coach, one of the best in-game coaches I've ever seen.
16:15Incredibly calm, incredibly rational, you know, a guy who his pulse never wavered no
16:21matter what.
16:22That was the whole deal with Brad Stevens.
16:23So Brad Stevens is an excellent basketball coach.
16:26His temperament, however, for this team was better suited to being their GM in many respects.
16:32They had Imei Joka for one year.
16:35Imei Joka, I think we all had some thoughts about Imei Joka's tenure here in Boston.
16:42He was fiery, you know, he brought a lot of energy.
16:46He talked a lot.
16:47He definitely had a lot of intensity, which I think the team resonated with in some respects.
16:54What this team really needed was a nut job, an absolute crazy person in Joe Mazzuola.
17:03Somebody who is so maniacally dedicated, not just to basketball, but to winning.
17:11Those two specific concepts that he does things like show game footage, instead of game footage,
17:19show, you know, orca whales hunting or MMA footage or really needlessly combative press
17:25conferences or, you know, all of the other just weird idiosyncratic things that this
17:33guy does.
17:34And the reason that, first off, the reason that it works is because Joe Mazzuola is actually
17:38an extremely good tactical coach.
17:40Like let's be clear, Joe Mazzuola was at the time considered a weird hire for this job.
17:47He's proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is a very tactically sophisticated and
17:52intelligent coach.
17:54But in terms of the way that this guy carries himself, the maniacal level of focus on attention
18:01to detail, the fact that he uses huddles and he's not out here reading vibes, he's not
18:07out here talking about platitudes, you know, kind of standard coach speak stuff.
18:11He is very intentionally and aggressively breaking down the most microscopic details
18:18of how the Celtics are set defensively of like what their offensive process looks like.
18:23Where does Drew need to stand?
18:24What does Jason need to do when his man switches on him?
18:27All of these things.
18:28They need a guy who's a little bit of a maniac to push them to this next level.
18:34And right now they've got it.
18:36Joe Mazzuola, hats off to you, man.
18:39You're coaching a hell of a series right now.
18:41All right, Justin, I want to see who you are, like, pawing at.
18:46You're just so excited to see them succeed.
18:48But first, let me try this again.
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20:06If you are like me and you're like, hmm, can I get to Dallas in time for tip-off?
20:11Game Time seems like a good option.
20:12I have a slightly more complicated set of circumstances, but we will see.
20:19If not, I'll probably go to the watch party at the garden, which seemed like it was cute.
20:24Not quite as rewarding as, you know, winning in-house, but...
20:28But you'll be with our people.
20:31They're all my people.
20:32I'm huge in Dallas.
20:34Hey, um, Justin, uh, Alex, I think we were all in agreement that Joe Mozilla's kicking
20:41ass in quite a lot of it.
20:43Who's been kicking ass that we haven't talked about, Justin?
20:47I'm gonna give some flowers to Xavier Tillman, because in a very loop-ass fashion, I was
20:53all the way out on his early play in this game, but I mean, the dude just got dropped
20:56into the freaking NBA Finals playing, like, maybe 10 total minutes before this.
21:02Probably more than that, but not that much, to be honest.
21:06It's really hard to underestimate how important it was to be able to give Al not a lot of
21:12time on the floor by himself as the lone big.
21:17Without Kristaps, the fact that Kristaps was not in this game at all, and that they managed
21:25to find a big rotation that, you know, there were some early mistakes guarding Kyrie for
21:30Xavier that I wasn't super crazy about, but I mean, like, the corner 3 pointer, a couple
21:36of blocks, I think, all in all, for a guy who barely has been playing in the postseason,
21:41never mind for the Celtics this season, it was about as good as you could hope for.
21:46I guess I'll use that to shout out Kristaps.
21:51That dude's definitely not playing.
21:55He says he's playing.
21:57He says he's coming back this series.
21:59Don't give him some time near the end of the game, as long as they are up anything, probably.
22:06I'm guessing.
22:07Yeah, okay, well, let me return to that point, but just because I think it's interesting.
22:11Last podcast was Monday evening, and Justin in the chat said, oh, we got to talk about
22:16Kristaps.
22:17Talk about Kristaps.
22:18And I suggested, like, oh, we shouldn't spend too much time on this, because, like, we're
22:22going to get an update, and it's going to change everything.
22:24And as it turned out, it was an update that people, medical professionals haven't seen
22:29in 30 years.
22:30So this is, like, the craziest thing to ever possibly happen.
22:34To your point of, like, if they're up 20 with a few minutes to go, certainly if they're
22:39at home, they'll put them in the game.
22:42But I don't think he's playing meaningful basketball.
22:44I think this is gamesmanship.
22:46And I'm thankful that he and the team are down for the ride.
22:50I actually do think they're sincerely trying to see if he could play.
22:55I don't think it's all a smokescreen, but, like, come on, that dude.
22:59I mean, the way that people are describing this injury, it's, like, super gnarly and
23:03uncomfortable to hear if you're a squeamish person.
23:05So good job, Kristaps, being down for the ride, but heal up.
23:11Also, I mean, we can do this in the offseason, but, like, he's probably gonna get surgery.
23:15Like, that's not reporting.
23:17That's not reporting.
23:18I need surgery on that from what I've heard, but I am not that kind of doctor, so do not
23:22take that as gospel.
23:23Yeah, no one knows inside information, for the record.
23:27I mean, I don't know inside information, but I did watch a disturbing amount of videos
23:31on this today, and all of them suggest that surgery is a very logical outcome for Kristaps.
23:38I would be shocked if he doesn't.
23:41I'm, like, already anticipating Kristaps is out till Christmas next year.
23:43But anyways, let's talk about the NBA Finals.
23:47Tatum was very good.
23:48Then Tatum was fine, slash not good.
23:51And then he was great.
23:52He made a few really key plays down the stretch.
23:55Yeah, Justin, to your point about, like, just the narrative of, like, oh, the media, and
24:02then, like, bemoaning the media, first of all, sounds a lot like American politics,
24:05but also it's just, like, tired and not that thoughtful.
24:09But I do think that there are a lot of people who seem to have some sort of bully pulpit
24:14who just, like, don't play basketball.
24:16Like, I play basketball in a men's league with people like Alex on Tuesdays at a middle
24:21school.
24:22Like, I'm not a hooper.
24:23But, like, come on.
24:24The dude had 12 assists, and you're, like, saying he didn't have a good game?
24:27That's such a...
24:28I feel like people are telling on themselves so much that, like, they don't have any sort
24:32of, like, pulse for, like, what a basketball game actually is, because that's such a ridiculous
24:36thing to say.
24:37I'll be more generous that they don't see a lot of Celtics games, and they have not
24:41been watching these Celtics games with the kind of laser focus that a lot of the local
24:46media do.
24:47And I think that's the most charitable take I can give that.
24:50But yeah, but charitably, like, if you watch a game and a dude's being double teamed every
24:54possession, you grade on a curve, like, what the hell is that about?
24:59So I thought he was...
25:01I mean, the Celtics, in total, were super aggressive.
25:03Their 46 three-pointers is the second most ever taken in an NBA Finals game.
25:09I mean, they were letting it rip.
25:10The pace of this game was, I suspect, a little bit higher.
25:13I didn't look, but they had 85 or 86 field goals.
25:16I bet that's the highest number for the series.
25:19But yeah, just, like, all in all, they were, like, super aggressive in a really good way.
25:25This is now the third straight game where they got kind of punched in the teeth in the
25:27first quarter and then responded.
25:30And then they punched the Mavericks and, like, a few other people in the teeth in the third
25:35quarter.
25:36That third quarter was awesome.
25:38All right.
25:40Alex, when does the series wrap and why?
25:45You know, I thought that the Celtics were going to win this in five, and I said that
25:49in the beginning.
25:50I just thought that, you know, Dallas would...
25:54I thought Dallas was going to win this game.
25:56I thought Luka was going to put on the cape.
25:58I thought Boston was, you know, not going to have the energy or the focus to necessarily
26:04seal it.
26:05And the crowd would elevate Dallas's role players.
26:08And then Boston won this game.
26:11And if I'm the Dallas Mavericks, like, yes, it would be incredible to pull off a historic
26:17comeback.
26:18I think there's a lot of motivation.
26:21I don't think Dallas is going to roll over by any means.
26:24They're going to give it their all.
26:26But this Boston team is so focused and relentless and vicious, where even when things are spiraling
26:36out of control, when things are starting to get dicey, which has happened now multiple
26:40times in the postseason, they just dig deep and they find a way to make the extra play
26:46to, you know, dive on floors for loose balls.
26:50The play that comes to mind is Jason Tatum, you know, catching what was objectively a
26:54pretty bad pass with two guys around him, holding on to it, spinning to the basket and
27:01dunking in a critical moment in this game.
27:04And then Jaylen Brown following it up with what was objectively a pretty dicey hero ball
27:08shot that he had all the confidence in the world on, and he just pulled up and drilled
27:13it.
27:15This team is utterly relentless.
27:17And I just don't see a world in which with the finals, one game, with Banner 18, one
27:24game away, I just don't see any world in which Boston doesn't go pedal to the metal and try
27:30to absolutely crush Dallas in this next game.
27:34I said Boston in five.
27:37It feels like it feels like we might be coming back to Boston for duck boats.
27:41Yeah.
27:42And 30 seconds or less is your final MVP.
27:47It's Jaylen Brown, who has done absolutely everything that the Celtics have needed from
27:52him in critical moments over and over again.
27:55He's had some bad plays.
27:56He's had some weird turnovers.
27:58He's had some shots I didn't love, but he just keeps finding ways to put his stamp on
28:04these games and deliver in the biggest moments.
28:06I think it has to be JB.
28:09All right, Justin, how does the series wrap and who's finals MVP?
28:13Well, I'll start backwards.
28:15Jaylen is the finals MVP, but I think it's a little closer than a lot of people might
28:20suspect based on my earlier rant.
28:23I think I agree with Alex that this is more likely than not to be a sweep, but I would
28:30not be at all surprised if they take their foot off the gas just a little bit and end
28:37up back at home to close out, which, you know, would not be all that bad.
28:43Yeah, so, so, so, so, so, so, so selfishly, I hope it's not a sweep because I would like
28:50to be in-house when they win and I'm still teaching this week.
28:56I just feel like in the, in a vacuum, that feels like such a demoralizing loss, like
29:06I think you roll over a little bit, like Alex, you're right, they're like competitors at
29:10the highest level, but I don't know.
29:12I just, I'm trying to say this, not like I've got green all over my face on our stream yard.
29:20Like I know how this is going to sound.
29:22Luca and Kairi are two of the biggest babies in the NBA.
29:24I just feel like they're going to quit.
29:27There's just like, isn't data to suggest they got gravel in their gut on this one.
29:31I don't, I don't, I'm not trying to.
29:32I agree with Kairi.
29:33I agree with Kairi.
29:34I would be surprised if we don't see a little bit more from Luca.
29:37I don't know if it'll be enough.
29:38I think the rest of the team is going to be demoralized, particularly Kairi, for exactly
29:41what you just said, but I would, I expect more from Luca.
29:46Yeah, for 30 minutes of the game?
29:48Yeah.
29:50Just rinse and repeat.
29:51Again, Luca is an unbelievable player.
29:53I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he's categorically the best player in the league
29:57for five straight years.
29:59But right now, he plays, you know, three quarters of a good game, and then when it's not working
30:04for him, he gets a little whiny, and I'm not saying like, I'm just using that as a data
30:10point to suggest I don't think Dallas has it in them to get a gutsy win.
30:15I do think Boston could shoot poorly.
30:17I mean, they shot pretty well from deep today, they shot pretty well from the field.
30:22But I don't know, between Boston's defense and Dallas's disposition, I think it's a sweep.
30:31And if it's not a sweep, like, there's no way Dallas wins the series.
30:33Like, I'm sorry, there's just like, absolutely, not even because of the historical precedent,
30:38just because of the basketball that we've seen.
30:39It's not going, it's not going past TD Gardner one more time.
30:42It's just not.
30:43I hope so.
30:44I hope you're right about that.
30:45And I'll say Tatum is a Finals MVP because he does 35 in the closeout game, and recency
30:52bias is a hell of a drug.
30:54It's close, too.
30:55I mean, it might not be as close as some people want it to be, but it's definitely closer
31:00than most people seem to think it is.
31:02All right, a scheduling note.
31:05If they do close in four, and I'm at TD Gardner for the watch party, they're going to kick
31:11us out half an hour after the game ends.
31:13So we'll figure out how we're going to record a podcast, but we'll get you something.
31:17Make sure you like and subscribe so you don't miss any other episodes, the Finals related
31:21or otherwise.
31:22Until then, this is a podcast brought to you by Price Picks, the exclusive fantasy basketball
31:26partner of the CLNS Media Network.
31:28It's also brought to you by Game Time.
31:30Tickets, last minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed.
31:33If you like this pod, check out How About Them Celtics, First to the Floor, and the
31:36many other New England sports podcasts on the CLNS Media Network.
31:41Check out Divine Sweater, check out Celtics Wire, and Alex, birthday boy, what you got?
31:47One more.
31:48Oh.
31:49Sorry.
31:50One more.
31:51For the YouTube crowd.
31:52It's late, man.
31:53It's late.
31:54Well, for the YouTube crowd, we usually like give a little like, oh, I'd like to speak.
31:56I'd like to speak.
31:57And Alex was so emphatic.
31:58I was like, oh, he's really got something to say.
32:01Guys.
32:02One more.
32:03Hell yeah.
32:04Cheers to that.
32:05Yeah.
32:06Holy smokes.
32:07Look at the title.
32:10That's so crazy.
32:11I can't believe it.
32:15Terminal C at Logan Airport will never be the same.
32:18They're going to win the title.
32:22One.
32:23All right.
32:24Thanks for listening.
32:25We'll catch you later.
32:26Adios.