"Hope you guys are all packed"- Jason Kidd's message to Mavericks locker room before Game 4 ages like fine wine
Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd had complete faith in his team ahead of Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, who were up 3-0 in the best-of-seven series. Kidd expressed his confidence in his team by conveying his assurance that the team will have a Game 5 ahead of Friday's win.
"We go to Boston tomorrow. I hope you guys all packed," Jason Kidd said.
The message aged like fine wine as the Mavericks were dominant throughout to conclude the game with a 122-84 victory at home.
Luka Doncic led the Mavericks' victory charge with 29 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals, while Kyrie Irving recorded 21 points, four rebounds, and six assists. 25 of Doncic's 29 points came in the first half, while the Celtics were restricted to just 35 points for the same duration.
Moreover, the 38-point margin is the third-highest blowout in NBA Finals history, which snapped the Celtics' 10-game winning streak in the playoffs. Both teams subbed their starters late in the third quarter because of Dallas' dominance.
Jason Kidd reasoned that desperation helped Mavericks clinch Game 4 win
With their backs against the wall, the Dallas Mavericks played with desperate energy right from the opening tip of Game 4 of the NBA Finals. In the post-game interview, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd credited the desperate effort of the team to stay in the series as a contributing factor to helping clinch their blowout win on Friday.
“It’s real simple. We don’t have to complicate this. This isn’t surgery. Our group was ready to go. They were ready to celebrate. Understand, we made a stand. We were desperate,” Kidd said.
“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.”
Watch the segment at 3:54 here:
Though the Mavericks pulled off a convincing Game 4 win against the Celtics, they still have a long way to go if they want to make a comeback to clinch the championship.
The feat of coming back from a 0-3 start to win the NBA Finals has never been achieved in NBA history and the Mavericks will have to be truly outstanding if they want to be the first.