Celtics chemistry and Luka's legacy

Michael Angelo B. Asis

The Boston Celtics took Game 3 in Dallas last Thursday. That takes out most of the air in the NBA Finals balloon. It's a virtual death warrant, shifting the question from "if" to "when." NBA announcers have never fallen short on reminding all the fans that "no team has ever recovered from a 0-3 deficit."

Here is something ironic, though: The Boston Celtics were the team that was closest to breaking this stranglehold. Just last season, in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics were down 0-3 to the Miami Heat. Then came the "don't let us get one" line from Jaylen Brown.

The Celtics won three games straight, and forced a Game 7. Just when they thought they would make history, they fell short. That was why Boston was so motivated against the Heat this 2024 playoffs.

Side note: The only instance that a team came back from an 0-3 deficit that I can remember was the "Beeracle" during the 2015-16 PBA Philippine Cup Finals.

Tainted Legacy?

The NBA media has been unforgiving, and social media, even more. After taking praise as the league's messiah a couple of weeks ago, Luka Doncic has been taking unfair criticism.

Of course, he will say "it ain't over until it's over."

That is just right, and it is a fact. 3-0 has reflected doomsday because no one has returned from it, but that does not mean no one will.

People will applaud your victories, but once you lose, you will be considered a loser, no matter how far you have gone in the Playoffs.

It is the same judgment that was cast on young LeBron James in 2007, when he got swept by the San Antonio Spurs. Luka has not been swept yet, but the 0-3 deficit is already eliciting the same negative energy. Luka is 25 years old, LeBron was much younger at 22 years old being a first option in an NBA Finals.

Would it have been better if he did not reach the NBA Finals this early, the way Michael Jordan did? MJ was 28 years old when he first made the Finals and won it. Is that a better path?

Luka Doncic inspired his teammates through three grueling rounds in the Western Conference, but when his teammates fell short, he had to take the blame. Besides, even the Celtics had to pay their dues.

It is pre-emptive to talk about the Dallas Mavericks in the future tense, as they still have a legitimate chance to be champions now. However, next season, they will have a full training camp together with PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford. Dereck Lively II will no longer be a rookie. These key players in their run will be better next season.

Excellence of execution

The Boston Celtics used Kristaps Porzingis as a surprise weapon in Game 1, and when he got injured again, they just seem to have brushed it off. They have players like Xavier Tillman waiting in the wings, ready to pop despite not being hardly used in the playoffs.

These Celtics know their roles, and they play them well, so much that they have become bigger than the sum of their parts. I must admit, I was not a believer in Joe Mazzulla, since the prevailing thought was he just capitalized on what Ime Udoka had built.

Coach Mazzulla deserves huge credit for this team. They have a "next man up" mindset, laser-focused on getting the job done. Some may dismiss it as great timing, since the young stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum also came of age, but I think he is also instrumental in that aspect.

Now, the challenge is to get that one win. It sounds much easier than it actually is. Luka and the Mavericks now have nothing to lose, and at times, that's when a team is most dangerous.