DALLAS — The Boston Celtics will try tonight to win the NBA championship tonight in Game 4 vs. the Dallas Mavericks, and if history is any guide, they will earn the franchise’s record-setting 18th banner, if not tonight then soon.
No team has ever held a 3-0 NBA Finals lead and lost the series.
Of the 156 teams have taken a 3-0 lead in a seven-game NBA playoff series, 156 teams have prevailed.
Here’s a preview and the odds heading into Game 4:
What: Game 4 of the 2024 NBA Finals. Celtics lead the series, 3-0.
When: Tonight, 8:30 p.m.
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas.
TV: ABC.
Moneyline: Dallas -115; Boston -105.
Spread: Celtics +1.5 at -120; Mavs -1.5 at +100.
Over/Under: 211.5.
What they’re saying
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla:
“At the end of the day we’re the most vulnerable in this. So, we have to remain with a sense of urgency. We have to have an understanding of our environment. We have to know that we’re just as vulnerable as anybody else in this situation, and how we handle that will determine our fate.”
Celtics forward Jaylen Brown:
“Either you survive or you don’t. That resonates with me.”
Mavs star Luka Doncic:
“We’re not in the offseason yet. They’ve still got to win one more game. Like I said, we’re going to believe until the end.”
Mavs coach Jason Kidd:
“When you look at the Celtics, they lose to the Warriors two years ago. They lose to Miami in Game 7 (last season). So, it’s just experience of understanding that you’re not promised to get back, that you’ve got to work. You see the group that is out there today. They know how to play. They’re a really good team.”
Celtics forward Jayson Tatum:
“I think from our experiences over the past couple of years, the thing that we’ve really gotten a lot better at is not relaxing, not being complacent. From game to game or series to series, we always want more. Maybe in recent years we took things for granted at some points or were happy to make it to certain rounds, where (now) we’re not satisfied. Even now up 3-0, nobody is celebrating or anything. We still feel like there’s a lot more that we can do. There’s a lot more that we want to do.”
- Information from the AP was used in this post.