The Boston Celtics get another crack at winning the NBA title when they battle the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of their best-of-seven finals Monday night inside the famed TD Garden in Boston, MA. They tip it off at 8:30 pm as the Celtics lead the Mavericks, 3-1, in the series.
Bookmaker has installed the Celtics as a solid 6 1/2-point home favorite. Dallas routed the Celtics in Game 4, 122-84, to stay alive in the series and avoid a four-game sweep.
The Celtics did not show up in Game 4, and their play on the floor showed they could have been more competitive, especially in the second half of a game in which they were blown out. The Celtics have shown throughout this series that they are the deeper and more talented team, and perhaps they were saving themselves to try to win their 18th banner on their home court, but the one thing they can not afford to do is give Dallas any spark or glimpse of life.
Boston needs to end this series on Monday night. The second half has been the half in which they run away with games. That is where their playoff moxie and experience really come through. Look for them to feed off of the home crowd early on, and that means that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will get into the offensive mix quickly.
Brown and Tatum have both had brilliant series, and you can make a case for either player to be the Finals MVP if the Celtics close out Dallas Monday night. Both players are averaging a touch over 20 points in the finals, and both have had dominating moments, too. The Celtics will also look to go off from beyond the arc, and if they can knock down some early three-point shots, that will force Dallas to play more off the ball.
The Mavericks finally woke up in Game 4 and were able to run away with an easy win. Some believe that was their best effort, and it is going to be very hard for them to duplicate that type of effort. They could also rest some players in the fourth quarter because the game was not even remotely close.
Luka Doncic rebounded from a horrible Game 3 and put his team on his back by netting 29 points, while Kyrie Irving chipped in with 21 on 10-of-18 shooting from the floor. If those two combine for over 50 points on Monday night, the Mavericks will have a shot at keeping the game close. Doncic also can ill-afford to argue with the refs and foul out like he did in Game 3.
Dallas will also have to play much better perimeter defense and look for them to push the tempo up the floor for quick and easy buckets.
The Celtics are 3-2 in their last five games and 2-2 in their previous five games against the number. They are also 19-19 in their road games against the spread, and the totals have gone over four out of their last five games.
The Mavericks are 3-2 in their last five games and 3-2 in their previous five games against the spread. They are also 27-14 in their road games against the number, and the totals have gone over in two out of their last five games.
