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DALLAS — Ask any former NBA champion and so they’ll verify the excessive diploma of issue of closing out one other group on its residence courtroom.

The Boston Celtics haven’t confronted many challenges in a 2024 postseason the place they’ve misplaced solely twice — an outstanding run made potential by superior depth, stable manufacturing at each ends and sure, key accidents on different groups.

Beating the Dallas Mavericks in Recreation 4 (8:30 ET, ABC) of the NBA Finals introduced by YouTube TV to finish a sweep Friday? That could possibly be fairly the duty, perhaps their largest.

Right here’s what might go towards the Celtics:

• A vengeful Luka Doncic
• Kyrie Irving regaining his contact
• The prospect that the Mavs’ supporting forged may present up on this collection
• The rarity of a sweep within the Finals

After all, the Celtics even have many causes to flex, particularly with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and a group that when once more could must compensate for the loss or limitations of an injured Kristaps Porzingis.

Listed here are 4 issues to search for in a do-or-die scenario dealing with the house group, and the guests’ quest for championship No. 18:

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1. The starvation sport for the Celtics

It’s human nature to ease your foot off the gasoline when it seems the inevitable is close to. And in case you doubt this, then you’ve gotten a brief reminiscence. Didn’t the Celtics practically blow a 21-point fourth-quarter lead Wednesday?

If Boston can’t resist the urge to relax and lapse into leisure, then Recreation 4 might work towards them and provides the Mavs a morsel of life and ship this collection again to Boston.

Crashing onerous for rebounds, tightening up defensively, working for simpler photographs, the Mavericks can be — or not less than must be — hell-bent on profitable these power performs. They’ve the personnel for that. The issue is that Dereck Full of life II, Daniel Gafford and others have been neutralized to date.

“Simply because we’re down 3-0, it’s not completed,” Full of life mentioned. “It’s solely going to come back right down to us placing all we will on the ground, attempting to come back out and win little battles as a result of that’s what’s going to get us the sport. Profitable the rebounding sport, the transition sport after which simply attempting to cease them from what they’re attempting to do.”

If the Celtics meet the Mavs’ projected depth, then it’s most likely a wrap given Boston’s apparent expertise benefit. However once more, human nature …

“We’re simply locked in,” mentioned guard Derrick White. “We all know what’s at stake. We perceive that close-out video games are the hardest, and we simply include an additional edge.”

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2. Jaylen Brown securing one other bag

Let’s get to the so-called draw back of Brown’s final 12 months. Don’t fear, this can be fast:

• He didn’t make any of the All-NBA groups
• He wasn’t chosen for the 2024 Olympic Crew

That’s it. In any other case, life’s been good. Nice, really.

Final summer time, Brown signed the richest contract in NBA historical past. Final month, he was voted essentially the most excellent participant of the Jap Convention Finals. And he’s a superb efficiency away from being named the Finals MVP, the place he finds himself the present favourite.

What a life-changing run by Brown, lengthy overshadowed by Tatum, now pushing to be thought of one of many league’s higher gamers.

He appears constructed for a powerful end to this collection. Not solely is he blessed with apparent all-around expertise and inflicting main issues for the Celtics, however he’s very doubtless selecting up the scent of two trophies: the Larry O’Brien and Invoice Russell.

Brown has been the Celtics’ most constant, dependable and finest participant on this collection. And he isn’t exhibiting any indicators of slippage.

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3. Kyrie Irving’s management

He as soon as helped a group rally from a 3-1 deficit to win a championship. He hit one of many largest photographs in NBA Finals historical past. All through this season, he has introduced himself as a modified participant who’s mature and smart.

In case your group is one defeat away from dropping the NBA Finals, it’s finest to have Irving on it.

Who would’ve guessed it will be Irving, not Doncic, because the calmer presence among the many Mavs’ star backcourt? Whereas one has battled an aching physique and the referees, the opposite has proven accountability and regret adopted by a pledge to be higher.

And Irving mentioned Thursday he’ll supply recommendation if requested by Doncic on deal with the second dealing with them.

“There are loads of first-timers on this stage,” he mentioned. “I’ve mentioned it over the previous week or so, it’s a brand new house for me, too, simply being with these guys and being examined at this stage.

“However my message to him is he’s not alone on this. He’s performed as finest as he can regardless of the circumstances, simply accidents and stuff. He’s been giving it his all. It’s not all on him. Being beneath the microscope on this enterprise is quite a bit totally different for me now as a result of I’m in a position to put the massive image of life in perspective and in addition the sport in perspective. It comes simpler.”

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4. Potential X-factors

White has this on lock — his play at each ends and particularly his willingness to gravitate to the second, has been a large benefit for the Celtics. If he’s open in a good sport, he’ll shoot (see his large 3-pointer late in Recreation 3).

“It’s enjoying with nice gamers,” he defined as the rationale. “They put me able to be in these moments, and so they belief me. I simply attempt to be assured all through all of it and simply belief the work that I’ve put in.”

Different candidates for Recreation 4?

Derrick Jones Jr. is due. It’s a quiet collection to date for a participant who lives on nook 3-pointers, lob passes for dunks and protection. All of that was on show all through the playoffs, then vaporized in the course of the Finals. Jones wager on himself final summer time when he signed a minimal one-year contract with Dallas. With a summer time of free company approaching, it’s time he tries to win that wager.

Full of life might rebound. And dunk. And make it onerous for the Celtics within the paint if Porzingis is an damage scratch. Full of life had his finest sport of the collection Wednesday with an 11-13 double-double. His power and talent to coax Al Horford into foul bother would loom massive.

Sam Hauser can shoot. The Celtics know that, or not less than rediscovered it after Hauser erased a cold Recreation 2 (0-for-5 taking pictures) by scoring 9 factors in 14 minutes in Recreation 3. His capacity to stretch the ground and permit Tatum and Brown to go iso makes a giant distinction on a group that feasts on 3s and spacing.

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Shaun Powell has coated the NBA for greater than 25 years. You’ll be able to e-mail him right here, discover his archive right here and comply with him on X.

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