The excellent performance of the Celtics' rotation players left the Mavericks players in despair.
Because the rotation time was actually their best opportunity to close the gap. Once they returned to their pure starting lineups, the Celtics' Big Three were simply too difficult to play against.
The Mavericks nominally also had three core players: Nowitzki, Josh Howard, and Jason Terry.
However, the Mavericks' three cores could only be called "three cores" and not "Big Three." This was because, apart from Nowitzki, the other two could only be considered borderline All-Stars, a far cry from the Celtics' three All-Star starters.
Therefore, strictly speaking, in a pure starting lineup battle, the Mavericks would not have the advantage.
In the first four games, the Mavericks were able to win two. One was because the Celtics themselves played poorly and failed to establish their offensive rhythm. The other was because the Mavericks' bench played better than the Celtics' bench, compensating for the shortcomings of the starting lineup, and thus successfully defended their home court.
In this game, the Celtics, playing at home, were in excellent form, so it was definitely impossible for the Mavericks to pull off a surprise victory.
The key was that the Celtics' rotation lineup also played exceptionally well today. Without relying on their core players, they successfully withstood the Mavericks' comeback, driving Mavericks head coach Johnson to distraction.
Forced to act, Johnson had no choice but to bring Nowitzki in early, extending the German tank's playing time indefinitely to boost the Mavericks' overall strength.
However, the Mavericks' problem was actually a defensive issue, not an offensive one.
On offense, Stackhouse did not back down. Within the effective playing time, Stackhouse hit virtually every shot he could make.
What the Mavericks really needed was effective defense!
While scoring themselves, they also needed to limit their opponent's offense. Only then could the score difference be narrowed.
Nowitzki, however, was clearly strong on offense and weak on defense. He was very skilled at offense, but whether he could achieve the effect head coach Johnson desired on defense was uncertain.
Moreover, of the Celtics' three offensive threats in their rotation lineup: Monta Ellis, Hu Weidong, and David Lee, the one who opened things up today was primarily Hu Weidong!
Monta Ellis preferred to drive to the basket, and David Lee favored mid-range jumpers in the paint. However, Hu Weidong was proficient in mid- to long-range shooting.
Therefore, Johnson's strategy of bringing in Nowitzki ultimately did not help the Mavericks narrow the score gap during the rotation period.
Instead, as the Celtics' starting players gradually returned, Nowitzki couldn't hold on. He Xi Meng, with a combination of drives and assists, led another 8-2 run, further extending the lead to 14 points.
During halftime, the atmosphere in the Mavericks' locker room was extremely tense.
"Little General" Johnson fully utilized his talent for speeches, using words to ignite the fighting spirit of the Mavericks players and planning a great comeback in the second half.
After the third quarter began, the Mavericks indeed played with efficient offense and defense.
Nowitzki was responsible for scoring, while Dampier, Josh Howard, and others focused on defense.
Perhaps it was also a coincidence that the Celtics entered a slump, allowing the Mavericks' defense to be effective, and the score difference was continuously reduced. It dropped from double digits to single digits, from 9 points to 4 points!
Kerr quickly called a timeout to turn the chaotic situation on the court around.
After the timeout, He Xi Meng and Carter both abandoned outside shooting and switched to isolation drives. When double-teamed, they actively drew fouls, using their home-court advantage to stop the continuous bleeding of points through free throws.
That's how a game is sometimes. You never know when a scoring drought might suddenly hit.
One second, your shots are falling smoothly, and the next, your touch is gone, and nothing goes in.
The Celtics, who had been playing smoothly, suddenly encountered such a situation.
If they were a young team, they might have been demoralized and swept away by the opponent's run.
However, although the Celtics were a newly rebuilt team, the core players were seasoned veterans.
Even before Kerr called the timeout, He Xi Meng had already shifted the team's offensive focus from the perimeter to the paint. It was only when Yao Ming's turnaround fadeaway also missed that Kerr was forced to call a timeout, giving the team a breather and also disrupting the Mavericks' continuous scoring momentum.
After the timeout, He Xi Meng immediately switched to an aggressive driving mode, charging into the Mavericks' paint like a human bomb.
Since it was their home court, they had to fully leverage the home-court advantage.
To prevent He Xi Meng from scoring directly, the Mavericks resorted to hard fouling.
As He Xi Meng went up for a layup, Terry fouled him hard, hitting both the ball and his hand. After the foul, to prevent He Xi Meng from attempting a difficult shot, he also pulled He Xi Meng to the floor.
After the foul, Terry immediately apologized to He Xi Meng, indicating that he didn't mean to and that he couldn't help himself.
It had to be said that "Little General" understood He Xi Meng. He was very precise in instructing Terry on defensive techniques, leaving He Xi Meng no room for opportunity.
He Xi Meng rubbed his reddened right arm, took a deep breath to regulate his breathing, and made both free throws, giving the Mavericks no chance to grab the rebound.
After He Xi Meng's drive, Carter also adopted a "bomb-dropping" driving style.
Compared to He Xi Meng's agile style, Carter's drives were more brutal and direct. Adrian Griffin couldn't hold him back, and Carter took off, launching a tomahawk dunk over Josh Howard, who attempted to block him!
The whistle blew, and the basket counted!
Not only did Carter successfully score 2 points, but he also drew a defensive foul on the trailing Adrian Griffin.
Adrian Griffin looked wronged. He admitted to the foul, but to have committed a foul and still not stop Carter from dunking, it was truly unbelievable.
"I couldn't even hold him back," Griffin muttered, shaking his head as he was substituted off by Johnson.
Carter's tomahawk dunk not only ignited the long-dormant atmosphere of the arena but also helped the Celtics escape their field goal drought.
In the latter part of the third quarter, the Celtics' shooting touch gradually recovered, and their lead returned to 8 points.
The Mavericks were naturally unwilling to concede defeat and attempted a desperate counterattack in the final quarter.
However, Diaw contributed a divine defensive effort. Through physical play and constant contact, Nowitzki's four shots in the fourth quarter all ended in misses.
With the German tank neutralized, the Mavericks' offense stalled. He Xi Meng took the opportunity to unleash a replica "serpentine drive," breaking through the Mavericks' defense twice in a row for layups, extending the lead to 12 points!
"Little General" Johnson quickly brought in Stackhouse, forming the Mavericks' strongest offensive lineup for a final gamble against the Celtics.