Heroes of the 2011 NBA Finals from the Mavs were present at the American Airlines Center to witness Game 3. Down two games, Luka Doncic and Co. were in urgent pursuit of finding a win. As one would envision, the game went down to the wire. Kyrie Irving and Jayson Tatum both awoke their inner-scoring demons and went head-on. It was all up for grabs until a pivotal moment came with five minutes left.

Only a mere possession ago, Luka Doncic, the most consistent Mavericks player during the postseason, was called for his fifth foul. All game long, he had an unresting relationship with the referees. On the very next possession in defense, Jaylen Brown drove explosively past the Slovenian, knocking both over in the process. The call went in favor of Boston, and Doncic was fouled out.

Dallas opened the quarter, trailing by 21 points. Willed on by the chants of the crowd, they displayed supreme resilience and marched back to now trail by just two with six minutes left. Luka Doncic was painting the stat sheet again having 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. However, his sixth foul basically changed the entire course of the NBA Finals for the Mavs, who were now without their best player.

The Celtics got the job done in the end, despite Kyrie showing up big-time

Ultimately, the Boston Celtics proved too powerful for the depleted Mavs. Jayson Tatum had his best game of the series scoring 31 points with 6 rebounds and five assists. Jaylen Brown surfed his way to another 30-point performance, further strengthening his case for Finals MVP honors. In response, Kyrie Irving showed off his vintage charm running loose for 35 points, 7 more than what he had in Game 1 and 2 combined.

Both teams were superb offensively, shooting almost identically from deep. The difference maker came out to be the volume. The Shamrocks hit 17 of their 46 threes taken. On the contrary, the Mavericks tried 21 fewer threes than the Celtics, falling behind by 8 made threes in the 106-99 victory.

It now means that the Boston Celtics have a 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals. They have a chance to answer the fans’ prayers, make history, and most importantly avenge their 2022 loss. There have been 156 instances of a team-leading 3-0 in a playoff series. They have never lost a single of those contests yet. The Celtics have everything in their favor.

Against it, though, is the fervor and allure of Dallas. They haven’t celebrated a Championship since 2011. Tonight those very legends saw their team fall deeper into despair. But such challenging conditions require the toughest mentalities. Irving and Doncic aren’t going to go down without making their desperation known. The Mavericks are an unrelenting unit. But can they possibly survive the Celtics stacked lineup?

Before you go, do not forget to check out what Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato has to say about Caitlin Clark’s meteoric rise to stardom. Keep checking this space for more such updates.