If there is any time the fat lady would be singing its now, well maybe she’s tuning up. That’s if history is correct. On the eve of Game 4 of the 2024 NBA Finals, The Dallas Mavericks find themselves on the wrong side of court, as no team in NBA History has comeback from a 3-0 deficit, especially in the Finals. Boston, who is in complete control of this series, is one win away from winning their league leading 18^th NBA title.

What to look out for:

In game 3 the Celtics showed the heart of a Champion, despite an excellent first half from Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, The Celtics were only down one point and used that momentum in the third quarter to outscore the Dallas Mavericks 35-19 and take a commanding 21-point lead in the fourth quarter behind an incredible second half by Jaylen Brown,  a lead in which Boston almost surrendered to end the game. As Kyrie Irving made a bevy of difficult shots, the others started to chip in as well with big threes from PJ Washington and Josh Green, but as the game approached four minutes Luka Doncic fouled out which did not help the Mavs cause.

Without Porzingas, Boston struggled a bit to keep the Mavs off the glass as they lost the rebounding Battle 43-36, as Dereck Lively had a game leading 13 rebounds to go with 11 points. If the Mavs are going to have a chance in game 4 and keep their season alive, they are going to have to beat Boston again on the glass., Watch for Gafford and Lively to be aggressive in the paint tonight. Outside of the rebound battle, the “others” on Dallas need to step up. PJ Washington, Derrick Jones Jr., Josh Green, Dante Exum, Jaden Hardy, and Tim Hardaway Jr. all need to push their chips in the middle and go all in tonight.

I expect Boston to put their foot on the necks of the Mavericks, silence the crowd, and remain aggressive in a closeout game for the title. The Mavericks will need to come out strong in the first quarter, otherwise they will be packing their bags to Cancun.

Boston Celtics Keys to the game:

• Make the stars work; make Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic inefficient
• Win the turnover battle
• Attack Luka Doncic on offense

Dallas Mavericks keys to the game:

• Bang the boards; win the rebounding battle
• Kyrie and Luka need to Be the best Duo on the court
• Get the others involved early

Boston Celtics X-Factor:

Jrue Holiday

Dallas Mavericks X-Factor:

P.J. Washington

Prediction:

Boston 112, Dallas 101