If the Mavericks thought playing in Boston was challenging, the series could get even tougher as it moves to Dallas.
The Celtics, who won Games 1 and 2 at home, have been a historically excellent road club during this NBA Finals run. Boston has won all six of their away games.
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Now, the Mavericks must choose between tarnishing their reputation and seeing the Celtics win the Larry O’Brien Trophy in Dallas.
“We have to protect home,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “That’s all.”
The Celtics are now on an eight-game winning streak and have not lost in a full calendar month. Their most recent loss was to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round in Boston. They’re 13-2 in the playoffs.
If the Celtics complete the sweep of the Mavericks, they will become the first team since the 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers to go 8-for-8 on the path to a title. They would also become the sixth NBA champion to finish 15-2 or better over a postseason run of at least 17 games.
“They haven’t lost a game since (May 9),” Kidd explained. “They’re hot, and not just on the road.”
How can the Mavericks survive at home?
“Score more points,” Luka Doncic stated following the Game 2 loss. “At the end of the day, it is basketball. “We just need to play better basketball to win.”
Dallas has a 5-3 home record in the playoffs. However, their poor 3-3 record in Games 3 and 4 of their previous three series, all played at American Airlines Center, is more notable.
Meanwhile, the Celtics have dominated Games 3 and 4 (both on the road) with a cumulative point differential of +62. In their first two series, a Game 2 loss in Boston preceded consecutive road victories. This was not the case in the Eastern Conference Finals, which Boston swept.
The NBA Finals appear to be on track for a similar fate. Unless the Mavericks can work their magic against one of the best road playoff teams in NBA history,.
“We’re not going down,” Kidd remarked. “We didn’t have the potential to split or win two games on the road. Boston held service, and now we must return home and do the same.”
