5 Studs from Mavericks' blowout Game 4 win over Celtics

On Friday night, the Dallas Mavericks took a step towards making history.

No team has ever come back after trailing 0-3 in a playoff series, and the Mavs are three wins away from making it happen as they grabbed a 122-84 win at home in Game 4 to avoid the sweep and force a Game 5.

After Game 3, all seemed doom and gloom, but Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic's positive outlooks on this series helped the team push through.

5 Studs from Mavericks' blowout Game 4 win over Celtics

They never thought they were out of this series, and their confidence combined with their poise in Game 4 helped push Dallas to a win.

The Mavs still have a long way to go if they want to win this series, but Game 4 was a breath of fresh air for the team and fans. All of the negativity coming after Game 3, especially surrounding Doncic's strugglesome defense and complaining to referees entered the backburner on Friday night, and the Mavs have to keep taking things one game at a time.

Here are five studs from the Dallas Mavericks' huge Game 4 win over the Boston Celtics.

5. Stud - Dereck Lively II

Entering Friday night's Game 4, Dallas Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively II was coming off his best game of the NBA Finals. Lively II finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds in Game 3, and he followed it up with another big performance in Game 4.

Lively II finished with 11 points, 12 rebounds, and one steal, and his energy from the opening tip to the final buzzer was infectious for his teammates.

The biggest play of the night for Lively II came in the first half on a Luka Doncic drive. Lively II spotted up in the corner, set up his feet, and drained a right-corner 3-pointer off the catch. This was the first 3-pointer of Lively II's career, and all of the hard work he's put into his shooting finally paid off.

With this made three, Lively II became the youngest player in NBA Finals history to make a 3-pointer, and the stadium erupted when it went in. On the following play, Lively II caught a lob and finished with a slam.

His impact all playoffs long has been phenomenal, and he gets better every single day.

4. Stud - Dante Exum

In Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals, Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd tried everything in the first half of that game. He played 11 players in the first half of that game, and he was looking for someone to provide a spark off the bench to provide Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving with some complementary scoring.

No one stepped up to the plate, but in Game 4, one player knocked it out of the park.

Dante Exum was phenomenal for the Mavs in the first half, as he was getting to the rim and knocking down open shots, and he proved that Jason Kidd can trust him when they need a spark. He is one of the only guards off the bench with two-way ability, and the impact that Exum provided in this game showed how valuable he can be when he is at his best.

In Game 4, Exum finished with 10 points off the bench while shooting 4-7 from the field and 2-4 from downtown. Exum would have had 13 points, but one of the threes he drained got called back later on as he stepped out of bounds.

Exum provided a big impact in the minutes that he was in, and he is someone who could continue to provide impactful minutes for Dallas if Kidd rolls with him. He never shies away from the moment, and his confidence issues from earlier in the playoffs seem to be gone.

If Exum can continue to play sound defense while knocking down open shots, he'll be set.

3. Stud - Luka Doncic

Before Game 4, Luka Doncic was receiving some of the most criticism he ever had in his entire career. Seemingly every national media outlet was roasting his defense and complaining to the officials, and it was even reported that Doncic's teammates have "begged him" to stop complaining so much to the officials.

Doncic responded to all of this noise with a dominant game and silenced all the haters. He was clearly dialed in, and he went back to having fun with basketball and worrying more about getting buckets than working the officials.

Doncic typically plays well when he doesn't complain, and that trend continued into Game 4. He finished with 29 points, five rebounds, and five assists while shooting 12-26 from the field, and he wasn't about to let the Mavs lose that game.

Doncic was getting to his spots in the mid-range, taking advantage of smaller defenders when driving to the rim, and putting some effort in on the defensive end. He wasn't seen trying to fail bait like he was in Game 3, and it was like we were watching a different person on that floor (when it comes to his attitude).

Doncic wants to win as much as anything in the world, and his great Game 4 could give the Mavs enough momentum to extend this series once again next week when they head to Boston.

Doncic must stay dialed in with the same assertiveness and poise he had in Game 4, and he continues to show that he can do that when fully engaged.

2. Stud - Tim Hardaway Jr.

Before Friday night's Game 4 of the 2024 NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics, Mavs fans were infuriated with Tim Hardaway Jr. in Game 3.

Hardaway Jr. finished with zero points in 19 minutes of action, and his lack of production was a huge problem for Dallas. They needed someone to step up as a third scorer next to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, but no one did.

Friday night was a different story, and the Mavs bench excelled. Although he didn't play until the second half, the Hardaway Jr. of the past returned as he finished with 15 points in 12 minutes of action while shooting 5-7 from downtown.

Everyone knows that Hardaway Jr. is capable of getting extremely hot at times, but it had been a while since fans had seen him shoot the ball that well. It was a pleasant change to see Hardaway Jr. dialed in from downtown once again, and this game had to have injected some confidence into him after struggling for so long.

It's unclear if Kidd will roll with Hardaway Jr. again in Game 5, but he definitely showed that he can play in this series when he is at best. There was no pressure in his minutes considering what the score was, and if the Mavs continue to get this Hardaway Jr., things could get very interesting for the Celtics.

1. Stud - Kyrie Irving

At the beginning of the 2024 NBA Finals, Dallas Mavericks superstar Kyrie Irving was struggling tremendously. Irving was clearly rattled by the Boston Celtics crowd, and he was not himself. He was missing shots that he usually hits, making some careless turnovers, and not playing with his usual poise.

Everything changed once he got to Dallas, as he had an excellent Game 3, and the same great energy carried over into Game 4 and he performed like everyone knew he could. Irving finished with 21 points, four rebounds, and six assists while shooting 10-18 from the field.

He was knifing to the bucket with ease, and his craftiness around the bucket was on full display. Irving used his quickness to get to the rim whenever he wanted, and although he missed some easy ones at the rim, the Celtics couldn't stop him when he was getting downhill.

As a shooter, Irving drilled some tough shots and was letting it fly with confidence. All of his shots were within his game, and he gave Luka Doncic the support he needed as a complimentary scorer to help Dallas maintain their lead.

The Mavs are unstoppable when both Doncic and Irving are both at their best, and their excellence as a duo is what got them this far. For the Mavs to keep this series going, they have to keep this up.

For all the latest on Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving throughout the 2024 NBA Finals, stay tuned.