Following the Celtics’ 38-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, there was no worry or dejection among the Celtics. Instead, they acknowledged the Mavericks’ strong performance.
“They played well,” Joe Mazzulla said. “They played really, really well. And that’s the reason why they’re in this: because when they play like that. So I thought they just outplayed us.”
“I felt like they were the better team tonight, clearly,” Al Horford added. “They played much better, and you’ve got to give them credit.”
The Celtics got beat at their own game in Game 4. Dallas dominated the margins Mazzulla and the Celtics monitor closely—outshooting Boston 91-80, outrebounding them 52-31, and committing five fewer turnovers (13-8). This was all a result of the Celtics possibly putting too much pressure on themselves, feeling the urgency to close out the series.
“I don’t think we came out and expected that we were going to come out and roll over on it and win. I firmly believe we had the right intentions,” Jayson Tatum said. “We wanted to win. We wanted to play the right way. That moment -- we wanted that moment. But I think we maybe put too much pressure on ourselves at that moment to be perfect or think it was going to go how we wanted it to go.”
Mazzulla has done a tremendous job of keeping his team grounded throughout the season. It’s been a driving factor behind their 79-21 record—never letting the highs get too high or the lows get too low. His message after Game 4 was no different.
“After Game 4, he just reminded us to have fun,” Tatum said. “We wanted to go for the kill, essentially, and we wanted to win so bad that maybe we got away from what makes us special and what makes us the Boston Celtics. He reminded each guy why he’s important to this team, why we all need each other, and what a person brings to the table. I think that was really important for us to go over today.”
Mazzulla places a unique emphasis on the mental side of the game. The Rhode Island native draws parallels from just about anything under the sun, from soccer, UFC, and jiu-jitsu to NFL wide receiver routes, sandcastles, and killer whales. He often compares playoff series to UFC bouts and war, emphasizing that it’s okay to have fun while competing.
“Joe did a great job of reminding us that it’s okay to smile during wars. It’s okay to have fun during high-pressure moments,” Tatum said. “That’s what makes our team unique and special. That’s really what we talked about today. Get back to having fun and being a team and how special we are and the team that got us here.”
With a chance to break a 16-year championship drought with a win on Monday night, the Celtics aren’t feeling overly pressured. They’re sticking to what has brought them to this point and letting their performance speak for itself.
“This is what we all work for. We are at the precipice of completing what we set out to do at the beginning of the season,” Jaylen Brown said. “I think it’s not difficult to get everybody in that locker room on the same page right now. Just remind everybody that it’s just one possession at a time. We do it together, and we fight like our lives depend on it, and I think we’ll be all right.”
“We would love to win [Monday] more than anything. But if it doesn’t happen, it’s not the end of the world,” Tatum added. “We have more opportunities. So just setting that table, don’t surrender to the idea that we have to win [on Monday]. We would love to, absolutely. But Game 5 is the biggest game of the season because it’s the next game on the schedule.”
The Celtics understand the opportunity in front of them. After years of heartbreak and shortcomings, Boston has the chance to reach the top of the NBA world, but they must remain true to the approach that brought them to this point.
“For us, it’s understanding the opportunity we have in front of us and making sure to take advantage of it,” Al Horford said. “it’s really controlling what we can control and making sure that we are solid in the things that we need to do.”
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