After leading the Dallas Mavericks to come-from-behind series victories over the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder, Luka Doncic must dig out of a 2-0 hole against the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. DALLAS — The last time the NBA Finals moseyed through north Texas, LeBron James endured the worst week of his postseason career and fumbled the chance to win his first ring.
Dallas’s challenge is daunting but not impossible: Giannis Antetokounmpo and the 2021 Milwaukee Bucks won in six games after dropping the first two on the road to the Phoenix Suns, and James’s 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers erased a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Warriors in seven. What’s more, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving led these Mavericks to series victories over the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second despite Game 1 losses.
“We can’t really score,” Doncic said. “That’s our main problem right now. Keep shooting. We all believe in those shots. That’s how we came to the Finals. That’s how we played the whole season. We believe in those guys. Everybody believes. If you’re open, just keep shooting. You’re going to knock it down at some point.”
Mazzulla used Porzingis off the bench in the first two games, which helped maximize his effectiveness coming off the calf injury. Boston has outscored Dallas by 25 points in 44 minutes with Porzingis on the court, and the teams have played to a draw with him on the bench. Over a broader sample, the Celtics went 21-4 without Porzingis during the regular season and 9-1 during his postseason absence.“Nothing is going to stop me unless I’m told I’m not allowed to play,” Porzingis said.