Game 1, Game 3, history repeats itself. While the Celtics largely dominated the second half, Joe Mazzulla's men again let the Mavericks come within reach, as was the case in the opening match of the Finals. After outrageously dominating the 3rd quarter (35-19) to obtain a 21-point advantage eleven minutes from the end, the Celtics suffered a 22-2 allowing the Mavs to come back to a small point.
“Basketball is about series, including at the highest level. You know, they're the best team in the West and they're going to make shots. They are going to make series, and it all depends on our reaction,” recalls Jayson Tatum. “With a lead of twenty points, it’s not a foregone conclusion. It's never the time to relax. Nobody wants to waste a twenty-point lead. Obviously, we would have liked to take better shots. But if you want to be champion, you have to be resilient in those moments, and we showed that tonight. »
Jrue Holiday as guide
To come back, the Mavericks adapted on defense to better hinder Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and they were able to count on a good passage from PJ Washington to support the Doncic-Irving pair.
“Just by the number of shots taken, we knew they were going to come back. Some of these shots were linked to our attack,” explains Joe Mazzulla. “We missed some reads, they changed coverages and matchups on three or four straight possessions and we missed the right read to get the right shot. »
But the Celtics held back and ended up winning 106-99. The exit of Luka Doncic with a little more than 4 minutes of play had a big role since the Boston defense was able to concentrate on Kyrie Irving.
Jrue Holiday continued to set the tone in defense, but also in attack with a brilliant pass for a killer 3-pointer from Derrick White.
“I don’t know how they let us have him, but I’m so happy we have Jrue on our team and we’re just very lucky,” concludes Jayson Tatum. “He just makes decisive actions. Obviously, he's been to this stage of the competition and won a title. He raises the level of everyone in defense. With the team we have, you don't want to be the weak link on defense. We all take pride in helping out on defense. It starts with Jrue Holiday and we try to be at his level. »
