The Mavericks rookie center had an emphatic dunk in a huge third quarter.
The Dallas Mavericks picked up their first win in the NBA Finals, defeating the Boston Celtics 122-84, now trailing the series 3-1.
No team in NBA history has come back from a 3-0 deficit, and the Mavericks would have to win the next three straight games to be crowned NBA Champions, and that is no easy feat when taking on a 64-win team. Still, the Mavericks can hold out hope, and even more so after securing their first victory. Their adjustments seemingly worked, and it'll be interesting to see if the Mavericks can return to Dallas for a Game 6 next week.One key player for the Mavericks was rookie center Dereck Lively II who has now had two strong games in a row in the absence of Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis. In the Game 4 victory, the rookie had 11 points and 12 rebounds as a plus-20 in the box score.
To no surprise, Mavericks fans and NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki enjoyed every bit of it, as he relishes watching his team in the NBA Finals in search of the franchise's second championship. Their first title came 13 years ago as Nowitzki led the team to an unlikely victory, knocking off a handful of powerful teams.
The Mavericks now head to Boston for a Game 5 on Monday, looking to continue extending the series as they look to make history and eventually hoist the Larry O'Brien.Kade has been covering a wide variety of teams ranging from the NFL to the NBA and college athletics since joining Sports Illustrated's FanNation in 2022.
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