The energy inside American Airlines Center was weird. You could feel it through the TV screen. People expected a sweep. The Boston Celtics were up 3-0, looking invincible, and everyone—from the talking heads on ESPN to the casual bettor in Vegas—assumed the Larry O'Brien Trophy would be hoisted on Dallas soil. Then the whistle blew.
Dallas won Game 4. They didn't just win; they dismantled the Celtics in a 122-84 thrashing that felt like a fever dream.
It was the third-largest margin of victory in NBA Finals history. Think about that for a second. In a series where Boston looked three steps ahead of everyone, they suddenly looked like they’d forgotten how to play basketball. Luka Dončić, who had been roasted for his defensive lapses and complaining to refs in Game 3, came out like a man possessed. He had 25 points by halftime. The Mavs were up by 26 at the break. It was a bloodbath.
Why the Mavericks Won Game 4 So Convincingly
Honestly, it came down to desperation and a massive defensive adjustment by Jason Kidd. The Celtics had been living in the paint for the first three games. In Game 4, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford turned the rim into a "no-fly zone." Lively, the rookie, was particularly insane. He finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds, but his impact was mostly about making Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown think twice before driving.
Luka was different.
He stopped hunting fouls—mostly—and started hunting buckets. He finished with 29 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in just 32 minutes. He didn't even play the fourth quarter. Neither did Kyrie Irving. Neither did the Celtics' starters. Joe Mazzulla pulled his guys with over three minutes left in the third quarter. You almost never see that in the Finals. It was a white flag.
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Boston’s shooting went ice cold. They shot 36.3% from the field and a miserable 34.1% from deep. When your whole offense relies on the "drive and kick" and nobody is hitting the "kick" part, you're in trouble. Sam Hauser was basically the only Celtic who looked like he knew where the hoop was for a stretch there.
The Role of Dereck Lively II
We have to talk about Lively. The kid became the first rookie since Magic Johnson to have back-to-back double-doubles in the Finals (if you count the stats trailing into the closeout). He even hit a corner three. The bench erupted. The crowd went mental. It was the moment everyone realized Boston wasn't clinching that night.
What This Game Taught Us About the 2024 Celtics
Even though they got smoked, Game 4 was a weird outlier for Boston. They looked bored. Or maybe tired. Or maybe just ready to go home and win it in front of the TD Garden crowd. History says teams up 3-0 relax. It’s human nature. But the margin of defeat was what raised eyebrows. You don't usually see a championship-caliber team lose by 38 points.
Kristaps Porziņģis was "available" but didn't play. That was a huge storyline. Boston’s medical staff was being cautious with his rare tendon injury, and once the game got out of hand, there was zero reason to risk him. Without his rim protection and "unicorn" floor spacing, the Celtics' offense looked stagnant.
Key Stats From the Dallas Victory
- Dallas Points in the Paint: 60
- Boston Points in the Paint: 26
- Fast Break Points: Dallas 12, Boston 2
- Rebounds: Dallas 52, Boston 31
The rebounding gap was the real story. Dallas wanted it more. They were crashing the glass like their lives depended on it. They knew that if they lost, the season was over. If they won, they just had to fly back to Boston.
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Was This a Fluke or a Formula?
People love to argue about whether a blowout like this means anything for the next game. Usually, it doesn't. A 1-point win and a 40-point win both count as one game in the series standings. But for Dallas, it proved they could actually score on Boston's elite perimeter defenders.
Kyrie Irving finally broke his "Celtics curse" to an extent, playing with a level of calm we hadn't seen earlier in the series. He wasn't the high-point man, but his gravity allowed Luka to operate in space.
On the flip side, Jayson Tatum had 15 points. Jaylen Brown had 10. You aren't winning a middle school game with those numbers from your stars, let alone an NBA Finals game. They looked disconnected.
The Defensive Shift
Dallas stopped over-rotating. In games 1 through 3, they were so terrified of Boston’s shooters that they left the lane wide open. In Game 4, they stayed home. They dared Jaylen Brown to beat them over the top rather than letting him get to the cup. It worked. Boston’s rhythm was broken.
Historical Context of the 38-Point Blowout
To find a bigger blowout in the Finals, you have to go back to 2008 when the Celtics beat the Lakers by 39 to clinch the title. Or the 1998 Bulls beating the Jazz by 42. Dallas joining that list is significant because they were the ones facing elimination.
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Usually, the team doing the blowing out is the one about to win the ring. This was a rare reversal of roles. It gave Mavs fans hope, even though no team in NBA history has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit.
The "Luka and Kyrie" era needed this game. They needed to prove that their ceiling was high enough to compete with a historically great Celtics roster. Even if they didn't win the series, Game 4 served as a proof of concept for the Nico Harrison-built roster.
How to Analyze Games Like This for the Future
When you're looking at who won Game 4 in any playoff series, you have to look past the final score.
- Check the "Garbage Time" Minutes: In this game, the starters were out so early that the final score is almost misleading. It could have been worse.
- Evaluate the Intensity: Dallas played at a 10/10 intensity. Boston played at a 4/10. That gap usually closes in the following game.
- Watch the Adjustments: Did the winning team find a permanent weakness, or did they just get hot from three? In this case, Dallas found success in the paint, which is a more sustainable way to win.
The Mavericks’ victory in Game 4 was a masterclass in desperation basketball. They forced a Game 5, sent the series back to Massachusetts, and avoided the embarrassment of being swept on their own floor.
Next Steps for Analysis:
Review the full play-by-play data from the second quarter of Game 4 to see how the Mavericks' 16-2 run started. Specifically, look at the defensive rotations of PJ Washington. If you are tracking player performance for future seasons, note how Dereck Lively II’s screen-setting evolved in this game, as it became the blueprint for the Mavericks' offensive identity moving forward. Check the injury report for any lingering effects on Jayson Tatum's shooting mechanics, as his dip in volume during this specific game was statistically significant compared to his Eastern Conference Finals averages.