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🏀 Good morning to everyone, but especially to …
THE BOSTON CELTICS
Early in the fourth quarter, it looked like the Celtics would cruise to a 3-0 NBA Finals lead, proving their overwhelming top-end talent and outstanding supporting cast are simply too much, as they have been all season.
But when things fell apart, they proved — perhaps more impressively — that they have the mettle of a champion, too. Now they’re one win away from turning that combination of skill and will into Banner 18. Boston blew nearly all of a 21-point fourth-quarter lead before recovering behind its biggest stars and ultimately holding off the Mavericks, 106-99, to take a 3-0 series lead.
- Dallas led 51-50 at halftime, but Boston exploded for a 35-point third quarter and led by 15 entering the final frame. It pushed that lead to 21 less than a minute into the quarter.
- Then Boston’s offense went absolutely freezing cold, and with 3:37 left, Kyrie Irving (35 points) cut the lead to one, 93-92. This came shortly after Luka Doncic fouled out on a bang-bang blocking call.
- That was as close as the hosts would get, and Jaylen Brown was a huge reason for that. He put back a missed Jayson Tatum shot to push the lead back to three. When Dallas cut it to two with just over a minute left, Brown responded with a rainbow midrange jumper.
Brown and Tatum combined for 61 points, with Brown adding eight rebounds, eight assists and a +13 plus-minus, best of any starter. And then when you factor in what he does defensively, Brown is more than…
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