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Celtics dominate to move within one win of NBA title
  • NBA Finals: Celtics vs. Mavericks
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    Celtics dominate to move within one win of NBA title

    DALLAS — Joe Mazzulla is a big fan of UFC matches and splices highlights of fights into some of the basketball film he shows the Boston Celtics for their video sessions.

    He doesn’t do it for entertainment purposes or to make players laugh. He does it for a simple reason. He wants the Celtics to have a fighters’ mentality.

    “If you’ve ever been in a fight with someone and you think you’re about to beat ’em, you usually get sucker-punched,” said Mazzulla, the second-year Celtics coach. “The closer you are to beating them up, the closer you are to losing.”

    Translation: He wanted the Celtics ready for a fight. And in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, they were.

    A pair of big runs — 23-8 in the first half, 20-5 in the second half — represented what became the knockout blows in this game, and maybe this series. Boston frittered away almost all of what was a 21-point lead before winning 106-99 to take a 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals, moving one win away from what would be their record-setting 18th championship.

    As is often the case with fights, the judges — in this case, the referees — had a big decision to make and it wasn’t one that was popular. Luka Doncic fouled out with 4:12 remaining, a call that held up under review despite Dallas’ arguments that Jaylen Brown initiated the contact on that play, and the Mavs were without their best puncher in what amounted to the 12th round of this fight.

    Doncic fouled out with the Mavericks having gotten to 93-90; there was no miracle finish. Boston did enough to hang on, and now a championship could be in its hands as early as Friday night when the teams meet in Game 4.

    And the big punch — sometimes early, sometimes not — has been a theme for Boston throughout this series.

    Control of Game 1 was seized early with a 23-5 run by the Celtics. In Game 2, a 15-4 run in the second half proved to basically be the difference. Mazzulla warned the Celtics that any spell where focus is lost could cost them games. Clearly, they’ve listened.

    “Closer you think you’re going to submit someone, is usually when you get submitted,” Mazzulla said.

    There’s no championship belt, like the ones fighters get, coming when this series is over. But the trophy is within sight now.

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    The Boston Celtics put on a dominant performance in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 111-108 to take a commanding 3-2 series lead. The win puts the Celtics within one victory of capturing their 18th NBA championship.

    From the opening tip, the Celtics came out firing on all cylinders, building a double-digit lead in the first quarter and never looking back. Their suffocating defense held the Lakers to just 42% shooting from the field and forced 15 turnovers, while their offense was firing on all cylinders, shooting 50% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc.

    Leading the way for the Celtics was their dynamic duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Tatum poured in a game-high 32 points, including several clutch baskets down the stretch, while Brown added 28 points and played stellar defense on Lakers superstar LeBron James. Kemba Walker also chipped in with 19 points and 7 assists, while Marcus Smart provided his usual spark off the bench with 14 points and 6 assists.

    The Lakers fought valiantly to stay in the game, with LeBron James putting up a triple-double of 28 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists, and Anthony Davis adding 27 points and 10 rebounds. However, it was not enough to overcome the balanced attack of the Celtics.

    With Game 6 looming, the Celtics are now in prime position to close out the series and bring another championship back to Boston. However, they know that the Lakers will come out with everything they have in a do-or-die game, so they must stay focused and continue to play at a high level.

    If the Celtics can replicate their performance from Game 5, there is no doubt that they will be celebrating a championship victory in the near future. Celtics fans are eagerly anticipating the possibility of another banner being raised to the rafters of the TD Garden, and with one more win, that dream could become a reality.