Kyrie Irving Knew Luka Doncic Needed ‘Tough Love’ Vs. Celtics

Luka Doncic took a lot of fire after Game 3 for his outbursts against the referees, but the Mavericks star turned it around to hand the Celtics a historic loss.

Dallas beat Boston, 122-84, at American Airlines Center to make it a 3-1 series heading back to TD Garden. The result was the third-worst loss in NBA Finals history and was fueled by the combined effort by Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

The Mavericks star duo combined for 50 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists Friday night, and they came in with a clear mindset to save their season.

“… I think what you’re seeing is him just taking accountability as best he can at this point in his life,” Irving told reporters, per a league-provided transcript. “… Also, we have to give him a little tough love where we let him know and reiterate you got to stay off those guys a little bit. I think it’s just lessons being learned. When he is locked in like that, not paying attention to the refs, he’s a huge, impactful player for us, and a great leader for us. We want him to stay consistent on that and not be too hard on himself either. If he gets a tech, so be it. No one is batting an eye. If we’re trying to get back into the game and we need the refs, there has to be a different perspective, different approach you got to take. …”

While Dallas showered Doncic with praise, the All-NBA guard knows the series still is in the same spot. No team in history has come back from a 3-0 series deficit, but Boston knows from last season that teams can come close. The Celtics will look for the gentlemen’s sweep Monday at TD Garden.