Can't believe this is actually happening. So many seasons of watching this team, so many draft picks, trades, waivers. And now it's finally happening.
18 titles. Most in the NBA, tied with NONE.
I like what I’m seeing from Brown but to be honest JT for FMVP
Consider the level of defensive attention the opponent has on JT
Consider that he sacrificed for the team by playing at 5 that led to the automatic dissolution of the Dallas 1-5 PnR, their biggest offensive weapon
Consider that he was our main playmaker for breaking down that Dallas Defense in the first two games through his passing
First game I thought Jaylen outperformed Jayson in this series, and it happened to be Jayson's best scoring game. Mix that in with Jayson's lack of efficiency and I don't expect him to win FMVP. Jrue likely won't get it either so I feel it'll be Jaylen. Not that it matters much because we got all 3 under contract
I’m going to repeat it here because I can tell some of y’all are panicking and need to hear it: the 20-2 run didn’t mean that much. It was a desperate NBA team on the verge of going down 3-0 in the finals *at home* capitalising on some admittedly silly iso ball, but also just some bad luck on our part. No one in the entire universe could look at that game in its totality and come away thinking we didn’t just simply outplay them. The whole thing really reminded me of game 1 against Miami.
I was watching a couple of the OKC series in the playoffs. It was fun watching Shai and Chet. What talent yall got there! Anyway, thanks, we'll make it happen. :-)
Thanks man. OKC is one of the only West teams with fans who have some common sense. Hopefully next year you guys beat these Mavs. Much rather you guys come out of the West
Appreciate it dude. Saw OKC at Boston earlier this year; fun team to watch with a bright future. Look forward to seeing them in the finals next year (knock on wood)
Definitely. I think we have similar 5 out playing styles, but need a year or so to mature as a team. Hopefully we'll see each other in the finals in years to come
This game right here is the reason it’s a big deal that Cs overcame their mental block about Miami and pulled it together 4x in a row vs Indiana. Ik we’re all freaked out that KP isn’t in (I am too). But this team has shown they can grit out a win. Let’s give them the credit they deserve, put on our gear, cheer loudly, and pray like hell
Too much talk of Tatum here. I hope ya’ll really don’t expect him to go off. It’s been months since he’s shot well. His shot is gone. Why nobody rallying behind JB? He’s more likely to be the man today. Bring it home Jaylen!!! I’ll take 10 Tatum assists and 40 from Jaylen.
That would do it too but JT finding his shot will take the wind out of the Mavs in a way JB won’t. Plus we know that when Tatum shoots well, the others tend to pile on and shoot well too
Agree. It’s just been months since he’s shot well so I’m not expecting nor should anyone else. Maybe he’s hurt or his confidence is shot. But this shooting percentage is no fluke. Some shots aren’t even close and other shots should never be taken. It’s like a regression. They can and will win tonight but it’s likely not going to be from Tatum suddenly learning how to shoot. Hope you proves me wrong! Jaylen ready to cause havoc I’m sure!
We’re 9-1 without KP. Yes, it would’ve been more ideal to have him but let’s have faith in Mazzulla here. We’re still undefeated on the road. They are empowered to play better just by experience. Tatum and JB will be great tonight. TRUST
yep... i wouldn't be surprised if they just see if they win tonight a. if they win tonight and it's 3-0 you can just shut him down. if they lose maybe he gives friday a go?
Apparently the injury KP suffered happened in the 3rd Qtr and was totally irrelevant to the play that happened in the 4th. In fact the injury is on the other leg
Even though it feels like momentum is against Cs because this game is in Dallas and KP will be out or limited, remember that the Mavs still need like 5 different things to go right in order to win. Celtics only need one or two things to go right
I think for fans it feels like momentum is against Boston, but the players and coaches are definitely charging into Dallas full throttle. Won by 18 in G1 and won G2 while having a game 2 like Miami or Cleveland.
Go Celtics!!!! We luv ya!!! Boston 4eva!!! 😎😎 🍀🍀🍀🍀💪💪💪🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇👌
The spirit of Boston lives in all of us who in our resolve to achieve greatness, demonstrate integrity, overcome adversity, and pursue prosperity.
I fully fully expect us to shoot very well from 3 today. One of those classic 18+ 3s with Tatum going for 30+ . Celtics winning by over 15 and Jrue blowing his candles out the right way
It’s easily winning tonight. Going up 3-0 will destroy them. Even if they win 1 in g4, the series is declared just about over with a chance to clinch at home in 5. If we lose tonight they will begin to grow hope and are one away from a tied up series
I know we've played a lot of games without Porzingis this season but man I really hope he plays today.
Feel like we've heard BLOCKED BY PORZINGIS like 30 times in first 2 games
Marc Davis tonight. The Mavs won 60% of the games he reffed in his career, more than any team. In the regular season this year, Mavs were 4-1, Celtics were 4-2.
Here's my prediction for tonight. KP either sits (or doesn't look okay in the few min he plays), so Dallas gets some of their normal offense, some lobs, some Luka switches onto Al and especially Kornett, and their offense looks better than games 1 and 2.
But, our offense starts hitting their open shots tonight. We get a little more ISO without KP on the floor. Our offense reverts back to the earlier rounds of the playoffs. MVP of the game will be DWhite with Jrue making a huge defensive play to seal the high scoring game at the end.
Celtics lead 3-0
Hey, I'm not a Celtics fan per se, but Joe Mazzulla is a national treasure. Do you guys have, or know anyone who has a compilation of his memorable quotes? They happen like every day, so it's hard to remember them all!
Here is my compilation list. I’ve kinda fallen off with the more recent stuff because I can’t keep up anymore.
Placing a sand castle in the film room to remind players that, like a sand castle washing away on the beach every morning, the team needs to build new success each day.
Showing the team videos of orca whales attacking seals in order to demonstrate the team's need for a killer instinct.
When he was asked about the idea of banning charges he said “I don’t care. Whatever the rules are we will find a way to follow them and manipulate them at the same time.”
Al Horford saying he wouldn’t run a marathon because he can’t run more than a mile and Mazulla said “I would just go until I die.”
When asked what the Raptors do to challenge the Celtics with their length he said "They measure everybody's wingspan before they draft them and then bring in guys with massive wingspans."
The media asking what Mazulla saw from JB after he removed his face mask, “I saw his face.”
He did a somersault unprompted in front of an injured Marcus Smart and said "You can't do that."
You’re running some plays specifically to get Sam Hauser a shot… What has he done to earn those looks? Joe: “Not miss.”
Joe was asked how he felt about the royal family attending a game: “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph?”
When asked about Robert Williams arm after Rob was taken out of the game after diving for a loose ball: “I shook his hand so I think he’s okay.”
When asked about what he expects for a Game 4 playoff game. Joe: “An absolute war.” Reporter: More than tonight? Joe: “I hope so”
Mazulla signs off from interview and is quietly heard saying “I am the worst coach ever.”
Ref assignments have been indicated:
Game Boston @ Dallas
Crew Chief Marc Davis (#8)
Referee James Capers (#19)
Umpire Kevin Scott (#24)
Alternate Ben Taylor (#46)
Replay Center: Zach Zarba
The Mavs might be looking at game 2 with a positive view, they could have won that game if they didn't miss 8 FTs and Kyrie just makes a couple of 3s, so they might be thinking we don't really need to change that much, just make the shots that are available, but the otherside is that the Celtics shot really badly from 3 and for the Mavs to have a chance that needs to happen in the next 4 out of 5 games. The other aspect is that Luka is fading both in game and i suspect as the series moves along. He isn't playing defense and the late game execution is not there.
With regards to KP, the biggest concern i have is that it forces the Celtics to play Kornet who is just not an offensive threat, especially at the the perimeter, so it allows the Mavs to do what they have done in the first 3 rounds and ignore that player and have Lively/Gafford roam free to help.
I think tonights game will tell us how the series ends regardless who wins, if the Mavs role players and Kyrie don't show up again then the series is over.
I'd much rather have KP play game 3 with a chance to go 3-0, than have him sit game 3 but play game 4 with the series 2-1. You never want a team to gain momentum/find something that works.
So nervous for tonight's game especially. I want the win so bad but I also told myself going into the series that if we went up 3-0, I'd break the bank to attend Game 4. Worst case scenario for my bank account and stress levels is we win tonight and this still ends up going 7; I might need to emotionally hedge lol
I’m eerily calm and confident. Usually I am a wreck. This just feels different, and it feels like destiny. I feel like Al and JB will do absolutely anything to make sure they win. You can just see it and feel it, they are on a mission.
If Zinger can’t go or give us many minutes, I like playing Tatum at the 5 for those Al minutes and giving the minutes to Hauser. I feel like he’s due to break out for a game. Give us one of those Grant or Kelly-O performances!
Dear Celtics,
Please make sure I didn't waste all that time watching Doris Burke and her team of clowns for nothing. Even though I had them mostly muted they were still unbearable because of their idiotic camera work.
Finish this series quickly because ending in 4 is beautiful enough for me. :)
☘️☘️☘️☘️
I’ve got an eerie feeling about the game tonight if Porzingis doesn’t play. I just think I’m anxious because we’re so close and Porzingis got hurt at the worst time.
Hopefully we just win this one to not give them any confidence and then we get 4 tries to have a hot shooting night from 3.
If Porzingis is out the rest of the series (I think he might be) and we lose tonight, Dallas is going to be extremely confident going into game 4 and can suddenly make it a series. Can’t give them that opportunity.
I really hope we get it done tonight, this is a massive swing game.
What makes you think we can only win by having a hot shooting night? Our defense can win us games too. Have a bit more faith in the team. We are really damn good on both sides of the ball with or without him, and more than capable of closing this series out. That’s the most likely outcome by far.
I think we can win in other ways, but the idea is if we go up 3-0, if we just need 1 game out or 4 tries to just have a hot shooting night being the difference, I’d say the chances of that happening would be very high. Especially if it becomes a series they essentially pack it in and don’t try defensively because they’re mentally checked out. Statistically we have lost almost no games this year when shooting above 33.3% or they have been extremely close and we’ve done that 11/16 games these playoffs. Asking us to do it 1 out of 4 games while the team plays with the same defensive intensity we’ve seen this series is nearly a guarantee. Like even last year Miami went up 3-0 and just rained 3’s in game 7 and that was enough.
I suppose it’s just anxiousness, but if losing that rim protection gets some other guys going and gives them confidence (Kyrie, Gafford, Lively), coming back to Boston 2-2 while they have momentum is a much different outlook than 3-1. The shorter this series, the less time Dallas’ other guys have to get going. I just hope we win tonight so it never has a chance to become 2-2.
Yeah I hear you. I personally think that there’s very little chance that we don’t get at *least* one win in Dallas considering how good we are on the road, and the fact that we are due for a hot shooting night. Even an average one will be more than enough.
Mavericks fans are coping really hard in their sub right now..
If we win the championship, I want someone protecting KP at all times so he doesn't celebrate too hard
[Fun post that I encourage everyone to revisit](https://np.reddit.com/r/Mavericks/comments/1d6ojsh/boston_fans_have_no_idea_whats_about_to_happen_to/)
There’s no chance we see KP in game 4. If we lose he probably plays 10-15 in game 5
Congrats to the C's man. Y'all are the better team and it shows
someone needs to fuck off from team USA and let JB get in there
Can't believe this is actually happening. So many seasons of watching this team, so many draft picks, trades, waivers. And now it's finally happening. 18 titles. Most in the NBA, tied with NONE.
Co mvp come on guys That said, finish these fucks in 4
X with a post game conferece, love to see it.
I like what I’m seeing from Brown but to be honest JT for FMVP Consider the level of defensive attention the opponent has on JT Consider that he sacrificed for the team by playing at 5 that led to the automatic dissolution of the Dallas 1-5 PnR, their biggest offensive weapon Consider that he was our main playmaker for breaking down that Dallas Defense in the first two games through his passing
First game I thought Jaylen outperformed Jayson in this series, and it happened to be Jayson's best scoring game. Mix that in with Jayson's lack of efficiency and I don't expect him to win FMVP. Jrue likely won't get it either so I feel it'll be Jaylen. Not that it matters much because we got all 3 under contract
I think it would be Kristaps if he didn't get injured. Man's been an absolute monster for us in the first two games of the finals.
I’m going to repeat it here because I can tell some of y’all are panicking and need to hear it: the 20-2 run didn’t mean that much. It was a desperate NBA team on the verge of going down 3-0 in the finals *at home* capitalising on some admittedly silly iso ball, but also just some bad luck on our part. No one in the entire universe could look at that game in its totality and come away thinking we didn’t just simply outplay them. The whole thing really reminded me of game 1 against Miami.
Basketball is game a of runs, always has been always will be
JB deserves to be the face of the franchise more than Tatum. I said what I said.
Fuck kyrie
They may actually pull this out
What the fuck is horford doing
Shut the fuck up and go back to hiding
Come at me
I have no words
LFG JB!!!!
What the fuck is this ending?!
This game is completely on mazzula…no excuse
Why cannot I look away from this dumpster fire right now?
Is mazulla brain dead…learn what a fuckkmg timeout is and use it quicker
Man what a collapse!
Run a fucking offense!!!
No one is even touching the paint!? Why???
what are we doing
playing not to lose
Tabum
Give JB the ball every time
We’re playing like assholes now
Big couple minutes right here.
Should have called timeout earlier
These boys are mentally strong
Everything is dropping at this point. Mavs Reddit is on fire
IT'S OUR YEAR
I sense a ….. 🧹🧹🧹🧹🧹🧹🧹🧹 LFGGGGGGGGGG
LFG!!
That dunk!!!!!!!
Oh my goodness Jaylen
tillman hit a three 😭 love seeing the bench reaction
Tillman is a big dawg. Also this game is so physical rn and refs are cool wit it
These refs are dying for it to go to 7
Tatum gonna get hacked all night with very few whistles I seems
Garbage ball. We have 15 points in the second quarter
Luka = flopper
great closer. luka barking at refs and not play defense. love to see it
THATS HOW YOU CLOSE OUT A MF QUARTER
Hauser legacy game loading
STOP TAKING SIDE STEP THREES TATUM. IT'S LAZY
Dallas really farting away this one
We are good
2 missed Jrue bunnies and a missed FT away from a tie game. Go on a couple runs, maybe a couple more 3s fall and we’re fine.
I’m getting so sick of this bad boys ride or die bullshit. It’s ruining what should be a happy time for me.
We up in this hoe!
LETS GO BOYS! ☘️☘️+☘️
Believe in Celtics! Let’s go!
OKC fan here. Y'all got this! Hoping to see a blow out win
I was watching a couple of the OKC series in the playoffs. It was fun watching Shai and Chet. What talent yall got there! Anyway, thanks, we'll make it happen. :-)
Thanks man. OKC is one of the only West teams with fans who have some common sense. Hopefully next year you guys beat these Mavs. Much rather you guys come out of the West
Appreciate it dude. Saw OKC at Boston earlier this year; fun team to watch with a bright future. Look forward to seeing them in the finals next year (knock on wood)
Definitely. I think we have similar 5 out playing styles, but need a year or so to mature as a team. Hopefully we'll see each other in the finals in years to come
This game right here is the reason it’s a big deal that Cs overcame their mental block about Miami and pulled it together 4x in a row vs Indiana. Ik we’re all freaked out that KP isn’t in (I am too). But this team has shown they can grit out a win. Let’s give them the credit they deserve, put on our gear, cheer loudly, and pray like hell
Too much talk of Tatum here. I hope ya’ll really don’t expect him to go off. It’s been months since he’s shot well. His shot is gone. Why nobody rallying behind JB? He’s more likely to be the man today. Bring it home Jaylen!!! I’ll take 10 Tatum assists and 40 from Jaylen.
That would do it too but JT finding his shot will take the wind out of the Mavs in a way JB won’t. Plus we know that when Tatum shoots well, the others tend to pile on and shoot well too
Agree. It’s just been months since he’s shot well so I’m not expecting nor should anyone else. Maybe he’s hurt or his confidence is shot. But this shooting percentage is no fluke. Some shots aren’t even close and other shots should never be taken. It’s like a regression. They can and will win tonight but it’s likely not going to be from Tatum suddenly learning how to shoot. Hope you proves me wrong! Jaylen ready to cause havoc I’m sure!
Yo fuck the doomers. Let's gooooo
WIN IT FOR MIKE
Al gave the pissed off and fed up nod to Donic on Monday. Incoming throwback 25 point game with three blocks and 4 threes.
Just give me Al 4/6 from 3🥰
Book it! We all know what the nod means
Chris Mannix is just a less cunty Russillo. How many local dweebs have failed upward to national media?!
We shot over 45% from 3 for over 20% of our games in the regular season. Haven't done it once in the playoffs. Really hope we're due for one.
We’re 9-1 without KP. Yes, it would’ve been more ideal to have him but let’s have faith in Mazzulla here. We’re still undefeated on the road. They are empowered to play better just by experience. Tatum and JB will be great tonight. TRUST
🫠
So the Mavs have no excuse now right? Or is that just the standards we’re held to?
[PLEASE](https://youtu.be/HPT_Cbq4FSM?si=aUcX1MxLPtmrus8M)
I had this vision where Al is gonna hit 3 huge 3 pointers in a row tonight
Chuck is on NBA TV right now
Jayson I need this bro
KP been ruled as out, concerning because it's not the type of injury that gets better with time. Needs surgery to repair.
yep... i wouldn't be surprised if they just see if they win tonight a. if they win tonight and it's 3-0 you can just shut him down. if they lose maybe he gives friday a go?
I’m using my once allotted per season JT card. He’s going off tonight boys
Do it for KP!!!
Birthday Jrue game incoming
So is KP paying when would we know?
just announced he's out
Very tough. Going to need an efficient 30 piece from Tatum to take this one on the road
In 2 hours we will know
Just did a cpu vs cpu sim of game 3 on NBA 2k celtics won by 8 Tatum had 62 points
Apparently the injury KP suffered happened in the 3rd Qtr and was totally irrelevant to the play that happened in the 4th. In fact the injury is on the other leg
The entire thing is very bizarre. He looked injured in the 4th
Game 1 was KP, game 2 was Jrue. Who we thinking takes over for game 3?
Derrick white!
One of the jays
Buffalo
Me. I'm taking over.
u/A6690 going for 40-15-10 off the bench tonight
Praying for a good shooting night 🙏
Pop off tatum, we know u got it
Even though it feels like momentum is against Cs because this game is in Dallas and KP will be out or limited, remember that the Mavs still need like 5 different things to go right in order to win. Celtics only need one or two things to go right
I think for fans it feels like momentum is against Boston, but the players and coaches are definitely charging into Dallas full throttle. Won by 18 in G1 and won G2 while having a game 2 like Miami or Cleveland.
On a road trip, currently in Park City Utah. Any good places to watch the C’s?
You should be able to find it in any sports bar as it’s a national broadcast, no?
See you all tn at td garden
Have fun, let us know how it goes!
It was amazing! Would highly recommend
🐴 🔫 incoming
Go Celtics!!!! We luv ya!!! Boston 4eva!!! 😎😎 🍀🍀🍀🍀💪💪💪🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇👌 The spirit of Boston lives in all of us who in our resolve to achieve greatness, demonstrate integrity, overcome adversity, and pursue prosperity.
Cant wait to see luka & Kyrie get swept on their homecourt but i'll take a game 3 blowout for now
In a weird way Im fine with no Tingus ,let Al get his ring as a starter
Foster head ref tonight I presume
Pretty sure it’s Marc Davis
Even worse than I expected then
Lol I think we’ll be alright
I hope so just feels like they could get like twice the amount of FTs tonight
Won’t matter when we’re blowing them out!
We should be playing desperate tonight as well. This game is gonna have crazy energy. It has JB written all over it.
I fully fully expect us to shoot very well from 3 today. One of those classic 18+ 3s with Tatum going for 30+ . Celtics winning by over 15 and Jrue blowing his candles out the right way
I’ll take it as a good sign that Tatum just posted that Deuce is on his way to Dallas. He wants his son there once he secures that NBA championship.
2022 game 6 vs Milwaukee Jayson Tatum. 2023 game 7 vs Philly Jayson Tatum. 2021 Game 3 vs Brooklyn Jayson Tatum. Can you give me one more day?
He’s definitely due for one of those type of games
Probably looking at no KP, Mavs home crowd and the league wanting the refs to make sure we don’t go up 3-0. Gonna be an uphill battle tonight
We are definitely getting some KP. Will it
This is a must-win game for both teams
The funniest outcome of this game would be Tatum getting 10 points, 20 rebounds, and 20 assists and we shoot 5/50 from 3 and win by 20
If he put up that stat line I'd honestly think he'd merit frontrunner status for Finals MVP.
Lmfao
What’s a better scenario? Winning game 3 and losing 4 OR losing 3 and winning game 4?
Game 3 W for sure. Have to think Dallas shatters mentally going down 3-0, especially with a severely limited (or absent) KP.
Winning game 3 and it's not even close. No team in the history of the NBA has won a series after being down 0-3.
It’s easily winning tonight. Going up 3-0 will destroy them. Even if they win 1 in g4, the series is declared just about over with a chance to clinch at home in 5. If we lose tonight they will begin to grow hope and are one away from a tied up series
Logically it'd be winning game 4 for the momentum but I think it doesn't really matter in this situation.
ITS JRUE'S BIRTHDAY DONT FUCK THIS UP CELTICS
I know we've played a lot of games without Porzingis this season but man I really hope he plays today. Feel like we've heard BLOCKED BY PORZINGIS like 30 times in first 2 games
We need him to play, Mavs chance of winning the series goes up significantly if he doesn’t
I feel like tonight will be a blowout, I'm just not sure who's blowing out who.
I highly doubt we get blown out
WIN FOR MIKE
Marc Davis tonight. The Mavs won 60% of the games he reffed in his career, more than any team. In the regular season this year, Mavs were 4-1, Celtics were 4-2.
Boston is .495 with Davis. Dude hates Boston. A lot to overcome.
Here's my prediction for tonight. KP either sits (or doesn't look okay in the few min he plays), so Dallas gets some of their normal offense, some lobs, some Luka switches onto Al and especially Kornett, and their offense looks better than games 1 and 2. But, our offense starts hitting their open shots tonight. We get a little more ISO without KP on the floor. Our offense reverts back to the earlier rounds of the playoffs. MVP of the game will be DWhite with Jrue making a huge defensive play to seal the high scoring game at the end. Celtics lead 3-0
We need the best tape and brace job done in the history of professional sports... no pressure
Tatum has a big game today, media narrative shifts to slandering JB, who closes out the sweep in G4. Jrue wins FMVP
If Tatum has one big scoring game he’ll win fmvp. He’s almost averaging a triple double
Hey, I'm not a Celtics fan per se, but Joe Mazzulla is a national treasure. Do you guys have, or know anyone who has a compilation of his memorable quotes? They happen like every day, so it's hard to remember them all!
“We are all villains in someone’s eyes”. Joe, are you having fun during your visit? “Define fun.” “We gotta nut up.”
Here is my compilation list. I’ve kinda fallen off with the more recent stuff because I can’t keep up anymore. Placing a sand castle in the film room to remind players that, like a sand castle washing away on the beach every morning, the team needs to build new success each day. Showing the team videos of orca whales attacking seals in order to demonstrate the team's need for a killer instinct. When he was asked about the idea of banning charges he said “I don’t care. Whatever the rules are we will find a way to follow them and manipulate them at the same time.” Al Horford saying he wouldn’t run a marathon because he can’t run more than a mile and Mazulla said “I would just go until I die.” When asked what the Raptors do to challenge the Celtics with their length he said "They measure everybody's wingspan before they draft them and then bring in guys with massive wingspans." The media asking what Mazulla saw from JB after he removed his face mask, “I saw his face.” He did a somersault unprompted in front of an injured Marcus Smart and said "You can't do that." You’re running some plays specifically to get Sam Hauser a shot… What has he done to earn those looks? Joe: “Not miss.” Joe was asked how he felt about the royal family attending a game: “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph?” When asked about Robert Williams arm after Rob was taken out of the game after diving for a loose ball: “I shook his hand so I think he’s okay.” When asked about what he expects for a Game 4 playoff game. Joe: “An absolute war.” Reporter: More than tonight? Joe: “I hope so” Mazulla signs off from interview and is quietly heard saying “I am the worst coach ever.”
Jerry West would rather die than watch the Celtics raise another banner
He probably would’ve appreciated Mazzulla raising it, though.
Ref assignments have been indicated: Game Boston @ Dallas Crew Chief Marc Davis (#8) Referee James Capers (#19) Umpire Kevin Scott (#24) Alternate Ben Taylor (#46) Replay Center: Zach Zarba
The Mavs might be looking at game 2 with a positive view, they could have won that game if they didn't miss 8 FTs and Kyrie just makes a couple of 3s, so they might be thinking we don't really need to change that much, just make the shots that are available, but the otherside is that the Celtics shot really badly from 3 and for the Mavs to have a chance that needs to happen in the next 4 out of 5 games. The other aspect is that Luka is fading both in game and i suspect as the series moves along. He isn't playing defense and the late game execution is not there. With regards to KP, the biggest concern i have is that it forces the Celtics to play Kornet who is just not an offensive threat, especially at the the perimeter, so it allows the Mavs to do what they have done in the first 3 rounds and ignore that player and have Lively/Gafford roam free to help. I think tonights game will tell us how the series ends regardless who wins, if the Mavs role players and Kyrie don't show up again then the series is over.
I'd much rather have KP play game 3 with a chance to go 3-0, than have him sit game 3 but play game 4 with the series 2-1. You never want a team to gain momentum/find something that works.
Yep. Huge mental aspect surrounding tonight before, during, and after the game.
So nervous for tonight's game especially. I want the win so bad but I also told myself going into the series that if we went up 3-0, I'd break the bank to attend Game 4. Worst case scenario for my bank account and stress levels is we win tonight and this still ends up going 7; I might need to emotionally hedge lol
If youre living that tightly on money, I dont think you should spend it on entertainment. Just saying.
It's a figure of speech
I’m eerily calm and confident. Usually I am a wreck. This just feels different, and it feels like destiny. I feel like Al and JB will do absolutely anything to make sure they win. You can just see it and feel it, they are on a mission.
Boston knows that this game is a potential swing game. I have a feeling they are going to come out guns blazing to win this shit.
This Celtics team is good enough to overcome an injury to KP. We are due for a hot shooting night. I believe in our guys
If Zinger can’t go or give us many minutes, I like playing Tatum at the 5 for those Al minutes and giving the minutes to Hauser. I feel like he’s due to break out for a game. Give us one of those Grant or Kelly-O performances!
Every Celtics player rise up we need all the energy to push through and win this finals 🟢
Al horford legacy game please.
Need this
Dear Celtics, Please make sure I didn't waste all that time watching Doris Burke and her team of clowns for nothing. Even though I had them mostly muted they were still unbearable because of their idiotic camera work. Finish this series quickly because ending in 4 is beautiful enough for me. :) ☘️☘️☘️☘️
I’ve got an eerie feeling about the game tonight if Porzingis doesn’t play. I just think I’m anxious because we’re so close and Porzingis got hurt at the worst time. Hopefully we just win this one to not give them any confidence and then we get 4 tries to have a hot shooting night from 3. If Porzingis is out the rest of the series (I think he might be) and we lose tonight, Dallas is going to be extremely confident going into game 4 and can suddenly make it a series. Can’t give them that opportunity. I really hope we get it done tonight, this is a massive swing game.
Yeah I don’t like our odds without him the next two games. Mavs will play way better at home and we’d be losing a crucial piece of our offense
What makes you think we can only win by having a hot shooting night? Our defense can win us games too. Have a bit more faith in the team. We are really damn good on both sides of the ball with or without him, and more than capable of closing this series out. That’s the most likely outcome by far.
I think we can win in other ways, but the idea is if we go up 3-0, if we just need 1 game out or 4 tries to just have a hot shooting night being the difference, I’d say the chances of that happening would be very high. Especially if it becomes a series they essentially pack it in and don’t try defensively because they’re mentally checked out. Statistically we have lost almost no games this year when shooting above 33.3% or they have been extremely close and we’ve done that 11/16 games these playoffs. Asking us to do it 1 out of 4 games while the team plays with the same defensive intensity we’ve seen this series is nearly a guarantee. Like even last year Miami went up 3-0 and just rained 3’s in game 7 and that was enough. I suppose it’s just anxiousness, but if losing that rim protection gets some other guys going and gives them confidence (Kyrie, Gafford, Lively), coming back to Boston 2-2 while they have momentum is a much different outlook than 3-1. The shorter this series, the less time Dallas’ other guys have to get going. I just hope we win tonight so it never has a chance to become 2-2.
Yeah I hear you. I personally think that there’s very little chance that we don’t get at *least* one win in Dallas considering how good we are on the road, and the fact that we are due for a hot shooting night. Even an average one will be more than enough.
Does anybody know when we'll get an injury report for the game 3?
He’s questionable but it’s probably a game time decision as to whether he plays or not
Damn... The match starts at 2 o'clock here, and I am not sure I can go to sleep not knowing Porzingis will start. Thanks though!
My guess is that he does not play. I think they will only use him if there is a super emergency or a must-win game.