Jason Kidd Calls Out Celtics After Mavericks’ Game 4 Blowout Win

Jason Kidd called a spade a spade after Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

Friday night's contest at American Airlines Center wasn't much of a contest at all. The Mavericks blitzed the Celtics from the get-go and Boston never came close to coming back. The end result was a 122-84 verdict that kept Dallas' season alive and sent the best-of-seven series back to TD Garden.

Kidd, who's been pretty transparent throughout the series, could tell the Celtics weren't going to bring the same kind of fight as his team in Game 4.

"Our group was ready to go," Kidd told reporters, per MassLive. "They were ready to celebrate. Understand, we made a stand. We were desperate. We got to continue to keep playing that way; understand they're trying to find a way to close the door. The hardest thing in this league is to close the door when you have a group that has nothing to lose. Tonight you saw that. They let go of the rope pretty early."

The Celtics will have another opportunity to close the door Monday night when they host Luka Doncic and company for Game 5. Tipoff on Causeway Street is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.