Game 4 preview: Though it stinks ‘horrendously,’ failure still the best teacher

As Kyrie Irving has said more than a few times in the NBA Finals, perspective comes from experience – often difficult, painful experiences.

That being the case, the Mavericks are gaining a ton of perspective by going down 3-0 in the Finals.

They are on the verge of being swept by the Boston Celtics, who have relied heavily on their previous failure in the 2022 Finals to dominate the Mavericks. At times like these, Irving is the perfect spokesman to remind people that this is not a failure for the Mavericks.

Unless they make history, they will lose the Finals. Teams that go up 3-0 in a best-of-seven series are 156-0 in NBA history, 14-0 in the Finals.

But don’t let that mask what the Mavericks have been able to do over the last two months.

“It’s great because we’re learning about each other in these moments,” Irving said. “And what we’re made of and what we have to do to be great at this level. There are a lot of first-timers on this stage. It’s a new space for me, too, just being with these guys and being tested at this level.

“I’m just appreciative that we can get another chance to extend our season tomorrow and just leave it all out there. It’s all about a pride thing now, and just putting our best foot forward.”

And then Irving hit on another cogent point.

“No one picked us to be in this position,” he said. “No one anticipated us to be here. There may be a few people in this crowd right here that had an idea, but we’ve pretty much broken the mold of what we’re capable of doing. And I think we’re trending in the right direction.

“We have some positives going on. It obviously sucks horrendously that we’re not at least competitive in this series right now three games in. But it’s also about getting the experience and learning through these things and also learning more about yourself.”

Irving broke out of his slump in the first two games of the series with 35 points in Game 3. The Mavericks were in position after erasing a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit to make it a one-possession game. But when Luka Dončić fouled out with just over four minutes left, the Mavericks couldn’t complete a comeback.

“My message to him is that he’s not alone in this,” Irving said of his backcourt mate. “He’s played as best as he can despite the circumstances, injuries and stuff. He’s been giving it his all.

“I think we’re learning that about each other right now from not only us as players, but the coaching staff and everybody that’s been part of this journey thus far.”

Sort of like the Celtics learned it in 2022 when they ran into the Golden State Warriors in the Finals.

As coach Jason Kidd said before this series started: “I think you do have to experience it. It’s a graceful way to accept losing. But you do have to go through defeat to understand that bad taste, how do you feel, how does it make you feel?

“There are times when you’re just not good enough. As a player, unfortunately with the Nets, we played the Lakers, we weren’t just good enough and we got swept. There are some cases that you run into Shaq and Kobe. You got to just take defeat and then move on.”

And the Celtics have done that since 2022.

“We also lost to the Warriors, too, that year,” Kidd said. “The Warriors are really good. But they (the Celtics) learned something. You could see they’re playing at a high level right now, winning 64 games, the best team in the NBA. To be penciled in at the beginning of the season, that puts a little pressure or stress because you’re supposed to be here. They fulfilled that.”

Now, it’s the Mavericks’ turn to simply win a game on their home floor and avoid the sweep.

Here’s a few other things to look for in Game 4:

• Dončić fouled out of Game 3, the first time he’s ever fouled out of a playoff game and just the third time he’s fouled out in his NBA career. He said he’s confident that the Mavericks can extend the series. “There was a time we were very low, I think we lost five, six in a row,” he said of a run in February. “From there, we just went up. I think we went 17-2 to get in the playoffs. I know that’s the regular season, but it was the point we all came together and the chemistry from there went to the top. We just got to believe.”
• Of the 14 teams that have gone up 3-0 in the Finals, the leading team swept the series nine times, won in five games twice, in six games twice and in seven games once.
• Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had their best combined game of the series in Game 3, teaming for 61 points.
• The Celtics have won 10 consecutive games in the playoffs, extending their longest run in team history. They are the ninth team to win at least 10 consecutive playoff games in a single season. The record is 15, owned by the 2016-17 Warriors.

BOSTON CELTICS (3-0) at MAVERICKS (0-3)

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday.

Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas.

TV: ABC

Radio: KEGL 97.1 FM The Eagle; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)

X: @ESefko