Tim Hardaway Jr. Makes NBA Finals History in Mavs' Game 4 Win Over Celtics

So far in the NBA Finals, the Dallas Mavericks have used a large rotation against the Boston Celtics. In some ways, it’s a big reason why they lost the first three games of the series. But in Friday night’s Game 4, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd used a more condensed rotation – at least until the game got out of hand – that led to a dominant 122-84 win against the Celtics.

With the game pretty much over in the third quarter, Kidd let the bench players get some minutes, and some players, like Tim Hardaway Jr., took advantage of the spotlight.

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The lights had been too bright for Hardaway in the NBA Finals until Friday night. He didn’t make a single shot in 27 minutes before Friday night and hadn’t made a shot in an NBA game since May 18. But when he stepped onto the court in the fourth quarter of Game 4, he became a flamethrower, hitting five 3-pointers in five minutes.

He joined Steph Curry and Ray Allen as the only players in history with five or more 3-pointers made in a single quarter in an NBA Finals game. However, the veteran sharpshooter would likely trade it all for a chance to contribute to a few more wins as the Mavericks fight to extend their championship pursuit.

The Mavericks will likely need Hardaway's shooting stroke to stay hot, as they still trail 3-1 in the series against a talented Celtics squad. The hope is that Hardaway can bring his newfound confidence and momentum into Monday’s Game 5 if he's able to get on the court again.