The Celtics Blew Their First Opportunity To Win The NBA Title By Getting Absolutely Destroyed In Game 4

Nathaniel S. Butler. Getty Images.

YIKES.

I have to be honest, this is not exactly how I expected tonight to go. There were certainly a lot of ways Game 4 could have gone, but I'm not sure I saw the Celtics playing their worst game of the Joe Mazzulla Era coming. There's getting your ass kicked, and then there's what we just watched. The Mavs came out and played like their lives depended on it and the Celts never recovered. A complete and utter stomping like you read about. 

It didn't even matter that Scott Foster was filling his role to perfection because the Celtics were plenty shitty on their own. In no way shape or form did we see them play even an ounce of winning basketball in this game. The Mavs were quicker to the ball, the Mavs dominated the glass, and they got whatever shot they wanted all while the Celts couldn't seem to do anything even remotely positive. Pretty disappointing considering what was on the line, but sweeps are tough. No team in NBA history has ever swept both the Conference Finals and the NBA Finals, and you knew the Mavs were going to do everything they could to avoid the sweep.

Which is why in my opinion, they deserve all the credit in the world for how they delivered this ass kicking. Their defense, especially Luka and Kyrie on the perimeter was the best it's been all series. The Celtics didn't just play like bozos because they forgot how to play, the Mavs were the aggressors and forced them to play that way. It also helps when their second unit players came out firing starting 5-6 (2-2) which helped get the crowd into it, and they were off and running to the point where Joe Mazzulla pulled his starters with about 3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. 

On the Celtics side, just a completely unacceptable effort and overall performance. Call that human nature, call it just one of those nights, call it whatever you want. What I know is that was not championship caliber basketball. Closeout games are tough as hell and you have to play the best game of your season. Tonight, we got the Celts worst game of the season and a blown opportunity which for the moment, has given the Mavs life. That's the exact opposite of what I was looking for tonight if we're being honest. But when your starting group does this

No shit you were completely destroyed. Just a disasterclass from every Celtic that touched the floor in this game, which is virtually unheard of. Guys like Pritchard weren't all that much better off the bench, and when you get a complete no show from essentially your entire roster, this is what happens.

What bothers me most aside from blowing a chance to end this series is the fact that we saw the Celts fall into their bad habits a little bit. Maybe they thought the Mavs would roll over or something, a similar mindset that has burned them in the past. Then once the game started and they got punched in the mouth, once the whistles were spotty you could see them lose focus and start to melt down. Then came the smoked bunnies and turnovers paired with the Mavs shotmaking and it snowballed to a point of no return.

And now things return to Boston for a PRETTY FUCKING MASSIVE Game 5. For those who wanted the Celts to win it at home, here you go. I personally would prefer not to get blown out by a billion, but I guess we don't always get what we want. If this team was destined to win the title at home, then so be it. Just please fucking win Game 5. Use this loss as fuel over the next few days and end this shit.

We'll regroup tomorrow like always. I just need a little bit of time to recover from that ass whooping first.