Finals Game Three: Legends

June 9, 2011. That was the last time the NBA Finals hit the city of Dallas. It was Game Five that year and the Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat (during the Heat's first year with LeBron James) to go up 3-2, and took Game Six in Miami to win their first NBA Championship. Here it is, 13 years and 3 days later, and the Mavericks are on their home court in a tight situation. They are down 2-0 after losing twice in Boston, and they are looking to make a dent in their deficit in Game Three.

Dallas got off to a booming start, as they began the game with a 21-9 run which turned into a 31-30 lead after the first quarter. The Mavs still had a one point lead at halftime, and while one point is the slimmest of leads, it's still a good sign for the team. It really looked like Dallas had a good shot at possibly winning this game.

That is, until the Celtics outscored Dallas 35-19.

Not again. The Mavericks can't let another one slip away again. They let Game Two slip away (they were never really in Game One), and now they are doing the same with Game Three. In front of their home fans. In front of Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith. In front of Patrick Mahomes (a Texas native) and his wife. The Mavericks were letting this game slip away from them. They did make a bit of a dent in the fourth quarter--they had their deficit whittled down to three points. Then Luka Doncic fouled out. The Mavericks did what they could, but it just wasn't enough to salvage this game.

The Boston Celtics won Game Three by a score of 106-99, and they were led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in this victory. Tatum led the team with 31 points, while Brown had 30 of his own. Derrick White had 16 points of his own, with 12 of them coming from behind the arc. As for the Mavericks, Kyrie Irving finally showed up, as he led the team with 35 points. Luka Doncic had 27 points before fouling out, and that was basically it regarding hardcore production for the Mavericks.

The Celtics are one win away from their 18th NBA Championship, which would put them in the lead all by themselves. It's over. Reverse sweeps have happened four times in the NHL, once in MLB, but they are definitely not a thing in the NBA. The Mavericks are not winning four straight, especially with the way they're playing in this series. They are a far cry from that team who decimated the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals, while the Celtics have actually won 10 straight games during this run. Holy moley.

Game Four of the NBA Finals takes place on Friday in Dallas, and we could see the Larry O'Brien Trophy won by the Celtics on that very night. It would be the first Finals to end in a sweep since 2018 if the Celtics take Game Four.

I have to end this recap by mentioning the iconic and legendary Jerry West. On the morning of gameday, Jerry West passed away at the age of 86, with his passing coming just over two weeks after the passing of Bill Walton. Both Walton and West are legends in Los Angeles; Walton having played for UCLA in his collegiate career, and also serving as a color analyst for the Los Angeles Clippers. As for West, he played 14 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning one championship as a player. His greatest claim to fame came as an executive for the Lakers, as he, as the team's General Manager, built the "Showtime" Lakers squad that dominated the 1980s. West won six championships as GM of the Lakers, and added two more with the Golden State Warriors in that same position. And of course, he's also known for being the centerpiece of the NBA logo.

Having lived in SoCal since the age of three, I'm very familar with both Jerry West and Bill Walton. They are absolute icons in SoCal (especially in Los Angeles), and they'll be greatly missed, and always remembered.