DALLAS — Pay attention, it’s not the equal of Wade Boggs taking a victory lap round Yankee Stadium on a horse. That’s a picture of betrayal Bostonians took about eight years to recover from — till their Purple Sox fell in a 3-0 collection gap within the 2004 ALCS and … by no means thoughts, too quickly.
Nevertheless it’ll nonetheless be troublesome for Knicks devoted to see (or a minimum of think about) Jeff Van Gundy, a major character of the Knicks’ final golden period, getting his first NBA title with the friggin’ Celtics.
Van Gundy was unceremoniously dumped by ESPN earlier than final season — a poor determination by the community exacerbated by the drifting minds of his replacements (Doc Rivers, JJ Redick). Van Gundy joined the Celtics as a senior marketing consultant, labeled by coach Joe Mazzulla as “an enormous weapon.”
And inside his first season in Boston — after spending greater than 12 years with the Knicks till 2001 — Van Gundy is a win away from receiving a hoop. I’m guessing it would have a shamrock on it.
Doesn’t really feel proper.
The Celtics nonetheless should win, after all. That they had an opportunity to brush the collection Friday night time in Dallas and laid a leprechaun egg. A 38-point defeat within the Finals isn’t presupposed to occur, however the Celtics have been flat, and Dallas was impressed at residence.
Give credit score to Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, who squeezed out his workforce’s greatest efficiency — particularly defensively — whereas going through a 3-0 gap in opposition to a greater workforce.
The Celtics hadn’t scored 84 factors or fewer since final 12 months’s Sport 7 nightmare in opposition to the Warmth. It was the worst Finals defeat in franchise historical past and the third-worst in league historical past.
“Our group was able to go. They have been able to have a good time,” Kidd stated. “We made a stand. We have been determined. We acquired to proceed to maintain enjoying that approach, perceive they’re looking for a technique to shut the door.
“The toughest factor on this league is to shut the door when you have got a gaggle that has nothing to lose. Tonight you noticed that. They let go of the rope fairly early.”
However now the collection and champagne shifts for Monday’s Sport 5 to TD Backyard, a spot the Celtics went 45-6 this season, counting the playoffs. Kristaps Porzingis, the X issue, is creeping nearer to a return from his leg damage.
For the Celtics to blow this collection, they’ll should lose twice at residence. Jayson Tatum is thought for choking, however shedding the 2024 championship is unfathomable.
“Don’t harp on [Game 4] an excessive amount of. It occurred. We will’t change what occurred,” Tatum stated. “We at all times say: You lose by two otherwise you lose by 30, all of them rely the identical. However we do have to be higher. We’re not making any excuses. We have to be higher, and we’ll. We might be higher.”
The Mavericks can nonetheless preach hope, nonetheless. No NBA workforce has ever recovered from the 3-0 collection deficit Dallas confronted earlier than Friday, however just a few climbed out of its present 3-1 predicament. Kyrie Irving, the Mavs level guard, actually understands the likelihood. He and LeBron James led the comeback within the 2016 Finals in opposition to the Warriors, one of many extra unbelievable finishes in NBA historical past.
“Simply by placing it into perspective what we’re up in opposition to. Historical past goes to be made both approach. We’d wish to be on the best aspect of it,” Irving stated. “It simply comes from the identical sentiment, identical phrase I used to be utilizing the opposite day: ‘Simply placing our greatest foot ahead.’ We felt like Sport 3, we had a superb probability to shut out that recreation to a minimum of put us in a aggressive spot.
“Then we waited till Sport 4 to in the end play our greatest recreation. Took lengthy sufficient for all of us to get to the celebration collectively and to play for one another the way in which we did tonight. Nevertheless it’s undoubtedly a risk that we are able to replicate it. We perceive we’re going in opposition to the identical nice Boston workforce that’s going to make it robust. We’re going into their residence den. We’ve got one other alternative to increase the season. That’s all we are able to ask for. We dealt with our enterprise [in Game 4]. However the job continues to be an uphill battle, and we perceive that.”
Effectively said, but it surely’s extra like a Mount Everest climb geared up with simply socks, underwear and a field of Pop Tarts. If the Mavs fail that daunting activity, Van Gundy, who’s reportedly drawing “sturdy curiosity” from the Clippers to affix their teaching workers subsequent season, lastly will get his ring.
As Tom Thibodeau jokingly put it when requested about his former Knicks colleague becoming a member of the Celtics: “Disgusting!”
