The Dallas Mavericks were able to staved off elimination in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday, and they did so in style.
It was never really close, as the Boston Celtics were handed their worst loss of the season at American Airlines Center. Dallas would be feeling pretty good about itself, too, if not for that whole "still being down 3-1 in the series" thing.
The Mavs know they've got a long way to go.
"It doesn't change anything," Mavericks star Luka Doncic said postgame, per league-provided transcript. "I said at the beginning of the series, it's first to four. We are going to believe until the end, so we just got to keep going. I have big belief in this team that we can do it, so we just got to keep believing."
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It's going to be difficult for Dallas to continue extending the series, let alone become the first team in the history of the NBA to rattle off four consecutive wins after going down 0-3 in a postseason series. The Celtics are one of the best teams in league history, despite the absolute butt-whooping you saw Friday night.
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd believes the key is simplifying his team's approach.
"It's real simple," Kidd said postgame. "We don't have to complicate this. This isn't surgery."
The Mavericks and Celtics will take the floor -- to play basketball, not perform surgery -- at TD Garden for Game 5 on Monday. It could be the last game of the season, or if Dallas does what it sets out to, could cause for lots of nerves heading into yet another elimination game.
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Featured image via Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports Images