In Game 4, Jayson Tatum and the Celtics were held to 13-of-33 shooting (39.3 percent) in the paint, their worst performance of the season.
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The Dallas Mavericks may have the most talented offensive line we've ever seen, but their defense is a big reason why they're in the NBA Finals brought to you by YouTube TV, and a big reason why the Finals aren't over yet.
The Mavericks were ranked 8th at the trade deadline, but over the next two months, they went 21-7, the best in the West, and rose to 5th place in the rankings. Most of the improvement was on the defensive side of things, as the Mavericks rose from 22nd to 6th before the additions of Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington.
Even though the Boston Celtics were less efficient at scoring than they had been in the previous two rounds, the Mavs didn't look like a good defensive team through the first three games of the Finals. Dallas' defenders were constantly getting beat off the dribble, leading to quality shots.
And in Friday's season-defining Game 4, the Mavs finally displayed championship-caliber defense. When Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla pulled his starters with 3:18 left in the third quarter, Boston had scored just 52 points on 65 attempts (0.80 per game). Even with some garbage-time improvement, it was the Celtics' worst offensive performance in 100 games this season (84 points for 96 attempts).
Here are some more numbers and footage that show how the Mavs got the stops they needed to extend their Finals run…
1. Dallas defends the paint
Numbers to know: The Celtics shot 13-of-33 (39.3%) in the paint, their lowest mark of the season, and were even worse (8-of-22, 36.3%) before their starters were benched late in the third period.
The biggest difference between the Mavs' defense before the trade deadline and after adding Gafford and Washington is the percentage of opponents shooting in the paint. They were shooting 60.5% before the additions and 52.7% in the 28 games since. their (That's the percentage of players who started the final two games of the regular season.) And in the first three rounds of the playoffs, that number was even lower (51.1%).
Mavs opponents shoot in the paint
| Game/Series | Female Genital Mutilation | F.G.A. | FG% | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games 1-52 | 1,387 | 2,291 | 60.5% | 27 |
| Game 53-80 | 646 | 1,225 | 52.7% | 1 |
| First 3 Rounds | 363 | 710 | 51.1% | 3 |
| Finals, Matches 1-3 | 60 | 92 | 65.2% | |
| Finals Game 4 | 13 | 33 | 39.4% |
The Celtics don't shoot much from the inside, and they were last in shooting percentage in the paint (42%) through the first three rounds of the playoffs.
But they still need shooting: The Celtics are 17-13 (.567) when shooting below the league average in the paint (57.4%) and are better (27-15, .643) when shooting below the league average from 3-point range (36.6%).
Attacking the paint also creates some of the best opportunities from the perimeter. The Celtics' Game 2 win came on a season-high 66 drives, and their best moments in Game 3 came when they went on the offensive rather than settling for 3-pointers off the dribble.
The Celtics didn't have much of a chance in Game 4. They struggled to get into the paint and couldn't make any plays when they did.
On the first attempt of the game, Jayson Tatum was isolated by Gafford, a matchup that had worked great for the Celtics in the first three games (albeit in a limited sample size), but Luka Doncic was ready with support from the baseline and Derrick Jones Jr. was in the strong side corner when Tatum's attempt was blocked, giving Tatum no way to escape.
With the shot clock running out, Tatum missed a difficult fadeaway attempt on Gafford's contest…
Through the first four games of this series, Tatum made 16 of 26 (62%) shots inside the restricted area but just 11 of 48 (23%) shots outside the restricted area, including 2 of 17 2-point attempts outside the restricted area.
2. Doncic is going to be on the defensive end.
Numbers to know: According to Second Spectrum tracking, Doncic participated in 47 drives as a defender of the ball-handler in the Finals, 10 more than any other defender.
The Mavs' defensive improvement started at the point of attack, and with Doncic remaining the Celtics' most frequent target on offense, it had to start with him.
The Celtics' second attempt came on their first drive against Doncic in Game 4. Jaylen Brown attacked and got help from both Gafford and Washington. After three passes, Derrick White got a pretty good shot from the left wing, but Doncic tried to close it out.
The Celtics got off to a good start in the first quarter, leading 9-6 just over four minutes into the game, but the Mavs then went on a 19-5 run as Boston scored five points on 11 attempts.
Dallas' first stop was by Doncic. The Celtics got the switch they wanted, and Tatum passed Doncic on an in-and-out dribble to the right, but Doncic got in front of the drive and forced Tatum into a tough step back…
Bottom line: Doncic wasn't as bullfighter-like as he was in previous games, and that made a big difference.
3. More outages mean more transitions
Numbers to know: Game 4 marked the first time the Mavs outplayed the Celtics in transition, according to Synergy tracking.
You don't usually win by 38 points unless you play great games on both ends of the court. Game 4 was the Celtics' least efficient offensive performance and the Mavs' best defensive performance of the season, but the Mavs' 88 points on 65 possessions (135 per 100 possessions) when Boston removed its starters were a big factor. their The most efficient game of the postseason.
Easy scoring was a factor, too: Dallas scored 26 points in transition, up from an average of just 16 in its first three games.
The Mavs looked purposeful in transition, with Doncic tucking the ball in after a basket on the other end of the court to start a 19-5 run in the first quarter.
Mistakes in the paint could also have compounding effects, and the Celtics may be intentional about shoot They don't attack in the paint as much as other teams. When they miss a 3-point shot, they're behind the 3-point line, so they have less distance to travel when they get back on defense. When they miss a shot in the paint, they're more likely to lose the next attack in transition. We saw that happen a few times in the first half on Friday after drives by Brown and Tatum.
Early in the 19-5 run, Derek Lively II helped Jrue Holiday drive past Jones, then went back to contest a Xavier Tillman layup…
The Celtics ran five men back and Tillman sprinted to close down Washington in the left corner, but the Celtics defense got confused trying to stop Dallas' first push. Tatum had no one guarding him, and Brown let Lively go under the basket and guarded Jones on the perimeter, resulting in a lob dunk for Lively…
Here's an example of how the Celtics weren't very sharp (on both ends of the court) on Friday: Regardless of how Dallas plays, Game 4 was clearly Boston's worst game of the series by far.
But it was Dallas' defense that pushed the Mavs to a 21-7 lead after the trade deadline more than any other Finals game. If it shows up again in Game 5 on Monday,8:30 p.m. ET, ABC), this series has the potential to be very interesting.
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John Schumann is a senior statistical analyst for NBA.com. Click here to email him or here for archives. Follow him on X.
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