The Mavericks played for their season, and they were locked in before tipoff against the Celtics in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
Dallas beat Boston, 122-84, at American Airlines Center on Friday. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving led the way for the Mavs, who felt the C's were too eager to celebrate the potential close to the series.
Jason Kidd was outcoached by Joe Mazzulla in the first three games of the series, but his pregame speech for Game 4 showed the confidence he had in his team.
"This is what we live for. This is what it's all about," Kidd told his team, per NBA video. "We got to believe. Why not us, right? We go to Boston (Saturday). I hope you guys all packed."
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The Mavericks head coach pointed out it was either win or go on vacation for his team, per The Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach. No team has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit in NBA history, but Dallas hopes Friday is the start of a historic run.
Boston gets another chance to close out the series and win Banner 18 in Game 5 on Monday at TD Garden.
Featured image via Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports Images